PARIS (AP) — France is commemorating the end of World War I hand-in-hand with the country vanquished in the so-called "great war" as German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins President Nicolas Sarkozy to remember the fallen — and to celebrate peace.
The bold departure from traditional Armistice Day commemorations comes two days after Sarkozy traveled to Germany to help fete the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Sarkozy says remembrance of the past "is also to consolidate the present and prepare the future." German school children will join French youth in day-long commemorations as will elected officials from border regions.
The last of the 8.4 million French who fought in the war that tore Europe apart died in March 2008.
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