Here he explains how the French admire America, despite the recent, very public, falling-out over the Iraq conflict.

Between the French and the US there is a typical love-hate relationship.

But make no mistake, there is not only hate. Love is as important.

France is the only major European country that has never been at war with the US.

When some American newspapers had, during the Iraq crisis, large headlines: "Don't forget D-Day", the French were thinking: "Don't forget Lafayette."

The consciousness that the American soldiers brought us liberty in 1944 is in every French mind.

One of the most popular songs in the 1970's was "Les Ricains" thanking the GI's for D-Day.

Even when the war started in Iraq, 53% of the French declared they hoped for a coalition victory, despite the fact 78% of them were against the war.

The link with the US has always been very strong in France; the outpouring of sadness after the 11 September attacks was huge, and a spontaneous pro-American demonstration of solidarity was immediately held at the Place de la Concorde.

Nobody had more applause than the New York fire-fighters who came as special guests of the 14 July parade on the Champs Elysées.

France is a friend and supporter of the US which has been vital for America.

Remember the Cuba crisis? De Gaulle, considered as the number one anti- American politician, gave Kennedy immediate and unconditional support refusing to look at the documents that the White House sent him saying: "The words of President Kennedy are sufficient."

So did Chirac in Afghanistan after 11 September.

'Aggressive US reaction'

On the Iraq issue, we never believed that it was vital for the security of the US.

Therefore, we did not believe we were obliged to support President George W Bush's policy. More than 80% of the French supported the policy of their president.

The very aggressive reaction of the US administration and the media seemed largely exaggerated.

No major French newspapers treated Bush as Chirac was treated in the US and Great Britain.

The worst insult levelled at Bush by the French press was "cowboy", no pejorative words were used against the American people themselves, nor was there a call for a boycott of American products.

The fact is that we have seen this war as the unilateral act of a super-power that wants oil, the control of a strategic country and to give unconditional help to Israel.

The result is that today, the first word linked to the US in France is: "power", rather than "liberty" and "democracy" as before, despite D-Day.

And then there is the traditional anti-Americanism on social or cultural matters. The suspicion that America wants to impose its way of life, language, culture, food, economy and its ultra-liberalism.

This is the reaction of David versus Goliath, of "old Europe" versus "new America", and it is nothing very serious, and nothing that prevents love.