completed the ViceChairman of the group Jean Leonetti

This is the bone of contention for several weeks in the majority. Yesterday, François Fillon took advantage of the first meeting of the year of the Group UMP of the Assembly to calm the spirits, and attempt to regain control on the debate on the prohibition of the full veil. While the leader of the UMP, Jean-François Copé deputies, activist since July for a law to ban General in all the public, including the street, the UMP and some Ministers space prevented with four horseshoes, favouring a more consensual approach with the left: the vote of a (non-binding) Parliamentary resolution followed by decrees or sectoral laws (universities, transportation...). Yesterday, the Prime Minister is attached to humiliate anyone. "Must be a resolution sufficiently firm to set principles and statutory and regulatory decisions need to apply them," he said as applause.

"This fight, it is my struggle."

It is the first public position of one of the two heads of the Executive and it is stronger than what had been left to assume the confidences of Nicolas Sarkozy to the leaders of the majority last week. Conscious that a majority of Deputies calls for strong actions, François Fillon - which long lunch Tuesday with Jean-François Copé-a everything to reassure troops. He recalled that he had been one of the first members of the Government of Raffarin to wish in 2003 an act on the signs religious school - "the battle, it is my struggle" - and assured that, on the full veil, the Executive has no intention of "closing the file or let". On the content of the Act, the head of Government has, however, not ruled: "There is a debate on the perimeter of the ban, Editor's note, sanctions and on the compatibility with the Constitution and European case law." This debate, we the trancherons after the regional, but the Government's objective is to eradicate the full veil on the national territory. "Right out of the meeting, Jean-François Copé screamed victory:"the Prime Minister himself has defended our approach!" "The reality is more nuanced. Even if it has used strong words, François Fillon at no time did mentioned a law of general prohibition. "To the extent where it does not determine the content, it is more in the summary" different points of view, says of Matignon.

A triple objective

In fact, the Prime Minister had yesterday a triple objective: avoid the UMP is torn in two months of the regional; prove that the Government, already in difficulty on the carbon tax and "national identity", is not on the defensive about the full veil; and personally assert itself as the leader of the majority. The force, and the shield, François Fillon is to be appreciated and listened to by parliamentarians: none would have been worse for him than to watch powerless to an arm of the railway between MPs and the party. If Jean-François Copé has not abandoned to collect the maximum of signatures on its proposal for a law, Matignon hope that the interest of the media will now be less. Remains whether if the leader of the UMP deputies, already accused of to be pushed from the col taking speed parliamentary mission must make its conclusions at the end of the month, will play the game. Yesterday, it was distributed to journalists the text of the Bill that he intends to discuss in the Chamber end of March, after the regional. On the other hand, made a concession now calling its text of "contribution to the debate." "A position contributory, scalable, open...". ", completed the Vice-Chairman of the group, Jean Leonetti.