French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Thursday that the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normanday will be the "occasion to reinforce ties" with Washington and to "turn the page"definitely on their recent differences over Iraq.

The ceremonies will be the occasion for France "to tell soldiers from Britain, America and other countries that we are grateful to them," she told French television LCI.

"It's an opportunity to strengthen ties with these countries, especially with the Americans because we've had a few differences.It will be the opportunity to definitely turn the page, not only among the politicians but also in the court of public opinion," Alliot-Marie said.

According to Alliot-Marie, "No one has any interest in seeing afailure in Iraq." She said that for France, the best solutions would be found through dominant role of the United Nations and theIraqi possessing the full and complete sovereignty in their country.

"When all these conditions are met, we must be ready to help rebuild the country," she said.

The D-Day ceremonies in France will be held from June 5 to June7, grouping 15 heads of State and of government, including French President Jacques Chirac and US President George W. Bush, who willmeet first in Paris on Saturday.

Source: Xinhua