A leader of European stature

With an eye to France's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the newspaper takes a closer look at the ambitious character of French President Nicolas Sarkozy: "Sarkozy wants to be a leader of European stature. To this end the EU Council Presidency must be the crowning touch. But people in Europe have been awaiting the arrival of such an ambitious president with some trepidation for months now. ... To calm the critics, France is casting itself as the classic president, promising to be modest, to do its best to listen and to be neutral and balanced in its approach. A classic list of priorities was established. ... But since then Sarkozy has proven himself a lone wolf. He is considered an outsider, a maverick who wants to have the final say on everything. ... And all this has damaged his position."

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