The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Mount Vernon

French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute to the United States Wednesday and vowed to back the US stand on Iran and Afghanistan as he sought to forge a new era in cross-Atlantic ties. Hoping to turn the page on four years of frosty relations over the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Sarkozy solemnly vowed to nurture the historic friendship between the two countries and pledged to stand by Washington on some burning issues. "We may have differences, we may disagree on things, we may even have arguments, as in many families," Sarkozy told the US Congress in a rare address to the two chambers by a foreign dignitary. "But in times of difficulty, in times of hardship, one stands true to one's friends, one stands shoulder to shoulder with them, one supports them, and one helps them."Gone were the days when French fries were struck from the Congress menu here as unpatriotic, as US lawmakers rose to their feet to give Sarkozy a three-minute standing ovation when he swept into the wood-paneled chamber.