France holds "European" Bastille Day celebrations

[tocqueville]

After watching a fly-past of Alphajets that left a trail of red, white and blue smoke, Sarkozy presided over a colourful parade which this year featured some 900 troops from the 27 countries of the European Union.

More than 60 aircraft, 4,200 soldiers and police officers, 240 horsemen and 400 vehicles took part in the parade during which the EU anthem, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", was played. An estimated 120,000 people looked on, said police.

Among official guests to the July 14 celebrations were the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, whose son is attending officer school in France, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and Prime Minister Jose Socrates of Portugal, whose country currently holds the EU presidency.

Barroso described as a "wonderful gesture" the decision to invite the EU regiments for the parade, saying it was a powerful symbol of European unity at a time when the continent is "trying to come together to confront globalisation."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070714/wl_afp/francepolitics;_ylt=AgD4HDSfNNqBVqBmctavbIF0bBAF