American singer Barbra Streisand has received France's highest civilian honour, two days after performing her first concert in the country.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy presented the star with the Legion of Honour at a ceremony in Paris.
"You are the America that we love," said Sarkozy. "Women like you... do a lot to bring our two peoples together."
Guests at the presentation included veteran French singer Charles Aznavour and actor Alain Delon.
Streisand was accompanied at Thursday's ceremony at the Elysee Palace by her husband James Brolin and her son, Jason Gould.
The 65-year-old sang at Paris' Bercy stadium on Tuesday before an audience of 10,000 fans which included Sarkozy's wife, Cecilia.
Production problems
The singer told the recently elected leader he reminded her of former US presidents John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton, "who appreciated art and recognised the importance of the arts in the world".
Streisand, whose scheduled concert in Rome on 15 June was cancelled due to reported production problems, performs this weekend in Berlin and will play Stockholm next week.
She will then head to Manchester on 10 July for the first of four UK concerts.
Recent honorary recipients of the Legion d'honneur include Clint Eastwood and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan.
^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~57~RS~)