French press review 6 June 2014

The D-Day diplomatic ballet seems to have breathed a lease of life into the battered stature of President François Hollande, according to some French papers.

Le Figaro commends the triumphant reception granted Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Paris, adding that 19 heads of state including US President Barack Obama, Russian leader Vladmir Putin and 1,800 veterans are in Normandy to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Longest Day.

In an editorial, the paper holds that, today just as yesterday, it was the liberty of the world that was being played out in that corner of France.

The Communist Party publication L’Humanité consecrates today’s issue to testimonies by two surviving veterans of the large amphibious operation launched 70 years ago. One is Rémi Dreyfus a paratrooper who was the more than 156,000 troops waded or parachuted onto French soil on 6 June 1944, while the other is Roland Leroy one-time lawmaker and L’Humanité managing editor, who served with the French resistance movement that played the strategic role of sabotaging railway lines which crippled the Nazis' supply routes

The presence of Obama, Putin and Queen Elizabeth in France gets Le Monde dreaming of a “Yalta on the River Seine” and a D-Day to rescue soldier Hollande. But it points to the dilemma facing Western allies attending the ceremony – whether they should speak or not speak to Putin in the light of the standoff over the Ukraine crisis.

The Russian leader will be walking on a minefield when he sets foot on the beaches of Normandy, writesLibération. It observes that his European and American counterparts are relenting on their plans to slap further sanctions against Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian separatists controlling the eastern region of Ukraine.

La Croix joins the celebration of a D-Day of peace with contributions from six Western personalities ranging from army generals to historians and politicians. They offer interesting perspectives on the legacy of the Normandy landings as well as the values and realities of the special transatlantic relationship linking France and the United States. Some highlight the imperative for Europe to do more in order to win over the United States, especially in fostering economic ties, while others want a better sharing of security and defence responsibilities

The scandal arising from Nicolas Sarkozy's 2012 presidential campaign is Le Monde’s front-page story, beating the hectic preparations and ballet of D-Day arrivals in France into the inner pages. The paper holds that the Bygmalion scandal is megalomania in its worst form and sheds light on a spending spree organised with the aim of securing the reelection of the conservative leader. Although Sarkozy's supporters have appealed to him to rescue the opposition UMP from disintegrating, Le Monde says the scandal constitutes another judicial threat to his comeback plans.

For Libération the Bygmalion affair is closing in fast on the former president. It sees no unanimity in the UMP about Sarkozy’s return at the helm of the party, concluding that no red carpet will be rolled out for him.