In an effort to prepare for France's reintegration into NATO's military structures, Sarkozy said that the "time was coming" to explain to the French public the importance of Paris's links with the United States.

"The alliance with the United States and the alliance with Europe does not compromise the independence of my country," he said, at an international security conference in Munich, southern Germany.

However he did set one "condition" in that "France wants to renew its relationship with NATO while remaining an independent ally, a free partner of the United States."

Paris, he underlined, would retain its nuclear deterrent.

France is rumoured to be ready to announce its intention to return fully into NATO at its 60th anniversary summit in April, but it has made the move conditional on Europe's defence capacities being strengthened.

"You can be sure that by the month of April we will try to realise the great ambition for this family that we are part of," Sarkozy said. The summit will be held in the French city of Strasbourg and Kehl, in neighbouring Germany.

France was a founding member of NATO, but then-president Charles de Gaulle pulled out of the alliance's integrated military command in 1966, determined to keep French nuclear independence.

The split developed over many years, as successive French governments became increasingly dissatisfied with what they perceived as Anglo-American domination of the command structure and insufficient French influence.

US Vice President Joe Biden, who also took part in the conference here, said Saturday that Washington backs France's intention to return fully to the fold.

Indeed, the United States has agreed to allow French generals to be given command of two major NATO structures if Paris decides to reintegrate.

However the other allies must agree on the plan, which would see France take over NATO's Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, and a regional command headquarters in Lisbon.

France, which remains an important member of NATO and is a major contributor to its missions, has recently sought to ensure that Europe can stand alone militarily if it must.

In a sign that Europe's defence pole was being strengthened, Sarkozy welcomed the imminent deployment of German troops on French soil, describing the move as a "historic act."

France "would be happy to host on its territory" a German battalion for the first time since invading German forces were forced out at the end of World War II, he said in Munich.

French Defence Minister Herve Morin said it would involve some 600 soldiers and that they would be based at Illkirch, near Strasbourg in northeast France.

"It will have reconnaissance and infantry companies and have a headquarters, corresponding to a force of 600 to 700 troops," Morin told AFP on the sidelines of the conference.

The Franco-German brigade was set up in 1989 and currently has 2,300 French soldiers and 2,800 German forces stationed side-by-side in southwest Germany.

German troops occupied much of France during World War II, and the eastern Alsace-Lorraine region where Illkirch is located has a patchwork history of annexation and occupation under both countries.

earlier related report
French politician calls for NATO referendum
France should hold a referendum on President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan for a return to NATO command, an opposition politician said Sunday.

Francois Bayrou, leader of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party, warned that France's return to the alliance's integrated command would be "a one-way ticket" and that such a decision should be submitted to a popular vote.

"Such a weighty choice cannot be made by the political authorities alone, even less by the president of the republic," Bayrou told reporters.

"This choice must be made by a referendum of the French people."

Sarkozy is expected to announce at a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in April that France will re-join the command structure, reversing Charles de Gaulle's decision in 1966 to walk out in protest at US domination.

The president has, however, linked France's return to NATO to building Europe's defence capacities.

Bayrou, who has been vocal on European issues, said France must ensure it makes gains on European defence in return for its participation in NATO.

"By aligning ourselves, we lose part of our identity in the chorus of nations including in the chorus of European nations," he said, adding that it would be a "defeat" for France and for Europe.

"This is a radical change that affects France's historical and diplomatic legacy, and such a choice cannot be made in secret, simply through an accord with a reigning majority. It must be the majority decision of the French people."

Sarkozy on Saturday said it was time to explain to the French public the importance of France's ties to the United States.

"The alliance with the United States and the alliance with Europe does not compromise the independence of my country," he said at an international security conference in Munich, southern Germany.

US Vice President Joe Biden, who also took part in the Munich conference, said Saturday that Washington backs France's intention to return fully to the fold.

Washington has agreed to allow French generals to be given command of two major NATO structures if Paris decides to reintegrate.

However, the other allies must agree on the plan, which would see France take over NATO's Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, and a regional command headquarters in Lisbon.

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