Paris (AFP)

Emmanuel Macron inaugurates Monday in Paris a monument for the 549 military "dead for France", in external operations since 1963, on the occasion of the commemorations of November 11 which began in the morning under a gray and rainy sky.

Wreath laying in front of the statue of Georges Clemenceau, ascent of the Champs-Elysées with the great escort of the Republican Guard, wreath laying in front of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and rekindling of the flame: the Head of State chaired the traditional commemoration the 101st anniversary of the Armistice in the presence of many politicians, including Prime Minister Edouard Philippe or Senate Speaker Gérard Larcher.

The president then has lunch at the Elysee with flag bearers and presidents of veterans associations. Before going in the afternoon to André-Citroën Park, in the XVth district of Paris, to inaugurate the first national monument dedicated to the Dead for France in external operations since 1963, since the end of the war. 'Algeria.

These representatives of the "fourth generation of fire", as the army calls it, died in 17 theaters of operation, including 141 in Lebanon, 129 in Chad, 85 in Afghanistan and 78 in the former Yugoslavia. The last name inscribed on this wall is that of Brigadier-Chief Ronan Pointeau, killed on November 2 in Mali, where 23 soldiers have already died.

Some 600 relatives of soldiers who died for France are expected at the inauguration ceremony of the monument in their honor, during which Emmanuel Macron will lay a wreath before giving a speech, scheduled at 16.45.

The memorial is a high bronze sculpture. He represents six soldiers - five men and a woman - his head covered with a cap, a beret or a cap. The serious face, they carry an invisible coffin as a symbol.

Beside, on a wall, are written the names of 549 soldiers, including two women, killed by the enemy or died as a result of war wounds, illness or accident during the "Opex".

- "France does not forget" -

"The monument has three objectives: first, tell the military that France recognizes their commitment to the nation that can go to the ultimate sacrifice, then give families a place to gather. to realize how much the defense of freedom passes through external military operations and requires a total commitment, "says the Secretary of State to the Minister of Armies, Genevieve Darrieussecq Monday in the Figaro.

"France does not forget those who died for her, she does not forget any of her children, it is our duty and our honor", declared the Head of State on July 13, 2018 in a speech to the armies .

He had that day relaunched the project that had fallen behind, causing the resentment of families and military. The Ministry of the Armies has provided funding for 1.2 million euros.

In the evening, Emmanuel Macron will welcome at the Elysée the heads of state and government as well as the leaders of international organizations participating in the second Paris Peace Forum. Before dinner, he will meet with Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Thirty heads of state and government are expected at the Paris Peace Forum, whose creation coincided in 2018 with the Centenary of the end of the Great War, to defend multilateralism in the face of the rise of "national selfishness "in a world increasingly fractured, including between Atlantist allies.

Emmanuel Macron will be eagerly awaited after his controversial remarks on NATO in a state of "brain death" due to the lack of coordination between the United States and Europe and the unilateral behavior of Turkey, member of the Atlantic Alliance, in Syria.

© 2019 AFP