Mr Sarkozy, in short, wants the British to back European defence properly, and the Americans to stop distrusting this on the ground that it may be a rival to NATO.

• 简而言之，萨克齐总统需要英国来适当地支持欧洲的防御工作，也需要美国摆脱对此的疑虑：英国可能会成为针对北约的一个对手。