PARIS: French President Francois Hollande will underline the need for European unity at a ceremony Sunday in Verdun to honour those killed in one of the bloodiest battles of World War I 100 years ago.
To mark the centenary, Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will lay wreaths at cemeteries holding the dead of both sides in the northeast French town.
The 1916 offensive lasted 300 days and claimed more than 300,000 lives.
Hollande will emphasise the need for joint action at a time when the European Union is under pressure from the migrant crisis and a possible British exit.
In the run-up to the ceremony, he recalled the moment during the 1984 commemoration that his predecessor Francois Mitterrand and the then chancellor of West Germany Helmut Kohl joined hands during the playing of the French national anthem.
"Mitterrand's gesture with Helmut Kohl, the hands that reached out and found each other, that's the symbol of reconciliation," he told French radio this week.
Now was the time for both countries' leaders to spell out what they wanted to do for Europe at this moment, a time when the continent was in the grip of the "evil of populism".
That appeared to be a reference to Europe's far-right parties, which have made advances in several countries. In Austria last Sunday the anti-immigration Freedom Party candidate missed winning the presidency by the narrowest of margins.
Underlining his drive for European unity, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will also attend Sunday's ceremony.
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