UK queen marks Entente Cordiale
LONDON, England -- Queen Elizabeth II is marking 100 years of peace between Britain and France by taking her first trip to Paris on the Eurostar -- one of the strongest symbols of the two countries' ties.
The queen's rail trip Monday through the Channel Tunnel -- the first dry link between the island and the continent since the last Ice Age -- kicks off a three-day state visit celebrating the centennial of the Entente Cordiale.
London and Paris signed the historic pact on April 8, 1904, ending centuries of warring and hostilities between two colonial rivals.
While they still enjoy a love-hate relationship -- most recently strained by opposing views on the Iraq war -- the countries' leaders hope to use the celebrations to highlight the best aspects of their relationship.
"The rivalries, the misunderstandings and the snags of the past, which troublemakers are quick to highlight, too often hide the reality of our common interests," British ambassador Sir John Holmes wrote in Le Figaro newspaper.
"In the dangerous world we live in, it is time ... to admit we have much to gain from combining our efforts and closing ranks."
The queen, who speaks fluent French, will be greeted in Paris by President Jacques Chirac and take part in a military ceremony on the Champs-Elysees -- where Britain's Union Jack and the French tricolor hang from lampposts.
Chirac has invited Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, for dinner Monday evening at the presidential Elysees Palace.
On Tuesday, the queen, a devoted equestrian, will take in a show by France's elite Cadre Noir dressage team.
Her itinerary also includes a visit with Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a brief speech in the Senate, a stop at the Louvre Museum, and a trip Wednesday to southern France to see the headquarters of European plane-builder Airbus.
Despite security concerns, the queen also plans to abandon usual procedures and take a stroll through the center of Paris to see as many people as possible, according to Reuters.
The queen, who left for Paris's Gare du Nord from London's Waterloo Station on a special charter service, is accompanied by UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw -- as well as 200 British children participating in a Franco-British education agreement signed last year.
At Waterloo, the queen named the train -- which had the nose painted with the French and British flags -- "Entente Cordiale" in honor of the anniversary.
'Frogs' and 'les Rosbifs'
The pact -- signed by British Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne and French Ambassador Paul Cambon in London -- was seen as crucial in ensuring cooperation between the former foes in the run-up to World War I.
The Entente was aimed at settling long-standing disputes over the countries of the upper Nile, and sealed an end to centuries of fighting that culminated in Napoleon's wars.
But while the pact survives in spirit, grumbling has continued -- both personally and politically.
The English still taunt "the Frogs" and the French mock "les Rosbifs" (roast beefs).
Chirac and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair fought over European farm subsidies at a 2002 summit. According to published reports, Chirac told Blair: "You have been very rude, and I have never been spoken to like this before."
The following year, British forces took part in the U.S.-led coalition in the Iraq war, which Chirac loudly opposed.
More recently the two neighbors have found common ground on other issues, such as fighting illegal immigration and terrorism.
But if a recent opinion poll is any indication, Britain still has some way to go to win over the French.
The poll, published by the Pelerin magazine last week, showed the French feel closest to the Germans -- who invaded them three times in 70 years up to 1940.
Britons were fifth on the list -- behind the Belgians, Spaniards and Italians.
