BRUSSELS - France returned June 11 to NATO's command fold, taking a seat for the first time in more than 40 years at the military alliance's defense planning committee.
At a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, French Defense Minister Herve Morin took his place alongside the 28 NATO allies, along with ministers from new members Albania and Croatia.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer welcomed Morin's participation as a symbol of "France's decision to recover its full place within the structures of NATO."
At a NATO summit in April, French President Nicolas Sarkozy reversed former leader Charles de Gaulle's 1966 decision to pull out of NATO's integrated military command.
France was a founder of NATO and has always remained a member, contributing to missions around the world including in Kosovo and Afghanistan, but de Gaulle pulled out of the integrated military command over perceived U.S. dominance.
11 years ago
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