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According to Catherine Vautrin, France is taking a "defensive" position, seeking a diplomatic solution, particularly regarding the Strait of HormuzPARIS, March 27. /TASS/. The United States launched its own military campaign against Iran without consulting allies and now demands that everyone join them, not exactly the best way to foster cooperation, French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin told Cnews. "When the war began on March 1, the US did not see fit, for example, to call France to share their plans, <...> they acted alone, and today they are asking everyone to join them," she said. According to her, France...

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy's hopes of a political comeback got a boost on Tuesday after a fundraising campaign he spearheaded to avert a financial crisis for his conservative UMP party raised 8.3 million euros in less than a month. The national drive to refill the UMP coffers -- dubbed "Sarkothon" by the media -- underscores Sarkozy's continued star appeal among centre-right voters despite his loss of the presidency to Socialist Francois Hollande in May 2012. With the UMP's finances now largely repaired, Sarkozy can more easily prepare for a possible presidential bid in 2017. For this, he will have...