VERSAILLES, France — President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed Parliament on Monday, laying out a vision of France that included a withering critique of burqas as an unacceptable symbol of “enslavement.”

Speaking at the Palace of Versailles, Mr. Sarkozy confronted one of the most hotly debated social issues in France, saying there was no room in the republic for burqas, the garments that some Muslim women wear to cloak their bodies and faces.

“The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue. It is a question of freedom and of women’s dignity,” Mr. Sarkozy said. “The burqa is not a religious sign. It is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission, of women.”

To enthusiastic applause, he said, “I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory.”

Mr. Sarkozy gave his speech, a sober, wide-ranging address, in the first presidential appearance before Parliament since Charles Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte’s in the 19th century.

Presidents had been barred from entering Parliament since 1875, to protect the independence of lawmakers. But reforms carried out last summer through Mr. Sarkozy’s party opened the way for him to speak to Parliament.

Mr. Sarkozy entered through rows of French guards with raised swords, then delivered an American-style state-of-the-nation address that sketched out his view of France’s future.

Though he also spoke at length about the economy, Mr. Sarkozy’s strongest comments were about burqas. France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, estimated at five million, and traditional Islamic garments have been a divisive issue, especially since 2004, when the country passed legislation prohibiting head scarves and conspicuous religious symbols from public schools.

Link to full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/world/europe/23france.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=sarkozy&st=cse