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Chirac declares war on English

Nicholas Watt and David Gow

Brussels: French President Jacques Chirac pledged on Friday to fight the spread of English across the world as he defended his decision to walk out of an E.U. summit after a French business leader abandoned his mother tongue. ``We fight for our language,'' Mr. Chirac said of the French walkout on Thursday.

Mr. Chirac added: ``I was profoundly shocked to see a Frenchman express himself in English at the table.''

The walkout provided a vivid illustration of French sensitivity over the decline of its language, which used to dominate the E.U. With the Internet fast turning English into the world's first language, Mr. Chirac insisted that he would continue to promote French. ``You cannot base a future world on just one language,'' he said. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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