Chirac to Make State Visit to Germany Next WeekFrench President Jacques Chirac will make a state visit to Germany next Monday and Tuesday, announced the Elysee presidential palace Friday.The highlight of the visit will be a speech to be made on Tuesday by Chirac to the Bundestag (Parliament) at the new building of Reichstag in Berlin. His speech will be focused on France's vision of the future of Europe, including its political structure and its security and defense policy. The visit is made days before France is due to assume the European Union (EU) rotating presidency due to start on July 1. Before leaving for Berlin, Chirac will visit the Year 2000 Universal Exhibition being held in Hannover, said Elysee presidential palace spokeswoman Catherine Colonna. The French president and German chancellor will give a joint interview to the German television ZDF in Hannover. Chirac will be the fourth French president to make a state visit to Germany since the end of World War II. Four government ministers and a dozen French enterprise leaders will accompany Chirac during his visit. |
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