Sarkozy uses Bastille Day to call for high-tech military spending

Associated Press

7:48 AM PDT, July 14, 2009

PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy opened the traditional Bastille Day military parade to Indian and German troops today, as France looks to expand its global military influence.

French forces marched with precision down the Champs Elysees along with Indian troops in colorful uniforms and German soldiers in sober dress.

Attack jets in tight formation roared across blue skies overhead to the delight of thousands of cheering onlookers.

The mood in the city was unaffected by violent clashes overnight in a Paris suburb.

The annual holiday parade marks the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille prison in eastern Paris that helped spark the French Revolution.

French companies have been seeking new markets for their military and nuclear technology, and Sarkozy pledged Tuesday that despite the economic crisis he would not seek to cut French military spending on high-tech weapons or intelligence gathering.

The French military is in the midst of restructuring that has forced the closing of some military bases in France and Africa as the country expands in the Persian Gulf. France hopes its presence there will bolster international efforts to fight piracy and guard shipping lanes while giving France more leverage with Iran and the Gulf states.

Sarkozy paid tribute to the effort of "modernization without precedent," and said he would put "an absolute priority on everything concerning intelligence" while emphasizing spending on military technology, especially that which could be used in the civilian sector.

Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, greeted children who were treated in France for wounds received in wars and conflicts overseas, and also paid tribute to French troops serving with other NATO troops in Afghanistan.

"I told President Obama that we would help because this country (Afghanistan) must regain the conditions of its freedom. We are not going to let the Taliban cut off the hands of little girls because they put on nail polish," Sarkozy said.

The German troops marching in Tuesday's parade, under the review of German President Horst Koehler, were part of a joint brigade deployed in the eastern French city of Strasbourg.

As part of France's return to the NATO command structure this year after a 43-year absence, France welcomed the German troops into the Strasbourg brigade

The focus on India was part of French attempts to extend its influence in regions where it has been overshadowed by Britain and the United States and to find new markets for its military and nuclear technology.