Many of Chirac's friends and foes alike have taken to using the kind of anti-American oratory that de Gaulle used when he took French soldiers out from under U.S. military command 30 years ago. The change was strikingly apparent in a parliamentary debate on a French-German defense agreement at the end of last month. Its command is American, since the Americans haven't given it up, not even in the southern European sector in Naples, despite a demand by President Chirac. Va. So, the French argue, when President Clinton and other leaders approve a reorganization at a meeting of the 16 NATO allies in Madrid in July, they should provide balance between U.S. and European posts by giving European officers the alliance's two main land commands in Europe. These will be the one in Naples, covering the Mediterranean and the troubled Balkan region, and one for northern Europe in Brunssum, the Netherlands, covering everything else.
Some diplomats say a compromise is still possible if both leaders want one.