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Chirac walks out of EU summit in language protest

President Jacques Chirac marched out of a gathering of EU leaders on Thursday to register protest at the use of the English language by a French industrialist.

The president made the symbolic gesture when the French expert switched to English which he referred to as "the language of business".

His walk-out, along with two French ministers, came at an already tense meeting with EU leaders gathered to discuss Europe’s flagging economy.

Ernest-Antoine Seillière, head of the Uni...

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