European integration accorded top priority by French leaders

President Chirac, the Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, and the Foreign Minister, Mr Hubert Vedrine, accorded top priority to European integration - especially monetary union - in their addresses to the fifth annual conference of French ambassadors, which ended here at the weekend.

Their emphasis on Europe, along with Mr Jospin's successful meeting with the German Chancellor, Dr Kohl, in Bonn last Thursday, have laid to rest any remaining doubts about the leftwing government's commitment to Europe. President Chirac, a right-wing Gaullist, and the Socialist Mr Jospin have indicated that whatever the difficulties of "cohabitation", they agree on foreign policy.

Distrust of US hegemony, a staple of French foreign policy since the second World War, is back in style. Mr Chirac, Mr Jospin and Mr Vedrine all spoke of the need to counter US political and economic domination. At the same time, they confirmed a new French policy in Africa.

Mr Jospin said his government's "resolute European commitment" was a result of political necessity. "The French government will be at the rendezvous for the single currency on January 1st, 1999, within the terms of the [Maastricht] treaty," he added. "The euro will enable Europe to regain its monetary sovereignty, to improve the efficiency of its economic policies, including employment, and to re-balance the big power blocs."

President Chirac spoke of EMU in very similar terms. Mr Chirac and Mr Jospin went out of their way to be cordial to one another; the president included two of Mr Jospin's concerns - a Europewide employment policy and France's lag in information technology - in his speech, while Mr Jospin was careful to give credit to Mr Chirac for military reforms.

There had been fears of disagreement over foreign policy, which is traditionally the preserve of the president, but commentators concluded that "cohabitation" has forced the men to define together a clear and practical approach to the outside world.

"There is not a single issue on which it was difficult to reach a convergence of views between the president and the government," Mr Vedrine told Le Monde.

In his address to the ambassadors, Mr Vedrine noted that "there is only one great power today: the United States of America". The US, he said, had advantages that no other power, not even Europe, could boast of. "The Pentagon, Boeing, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Hollywood, CNN, Internet, the English language, this situation is almost without precedent . . . But this power carries within it the temptation of unilateralism . . . and the risk of hegemony if there is no counterbalance."

Mr Chirac was also emphatic in his call for Europe to stand up to the US. He surprised his audience by renewing his demand that the southern command of NATO be given to a European - a step that Washington refuses to consider. In a major departure from past meddling in Africa, Mr Chirac said France will henceforward "forbid itself all interference, of whatever nature it might be, political, military or other". Which is interesting, if true.

The ambassadors' conference was started by the former prime minister, Mr Alain Juppe, in 1993. For four days, French ambassadors to 169 countries met in Paris. They attended lectures on EMU and the role of embassies in promoting next year's France '98 World Cup. The French obsession with US power is shown by the fact that the closing 3 3/4-hour seminar on Saturday was devoted to US strategy and actions.