Paris - US President Barack Obama and his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, were to meet in the French city of Strasbourg on Friday for their first head-to-head meeting since Obama's election to the White House.

The meeting was to take place at lunchtime, ahead of a NATO summit in Strasbourg and in the German cities of Kehl and Baden-Baden.

Obama and Sarkozy were expected to discuss issues central to the future of the transatlantic alliance, such as its relations with Russia, its strategy in Afghanistan and France's return to NATO's military command structure.

France is to be officially welcomed back as a full NATO member on Saturday, 43 years after Charles de Gaulle pulled the country out of its military command and kicked US bases out of French territory.

Officials say France's return to the NATO fold is likely to have important repercussions for the alliance. A French general is expected to take over one of the two top NATO command posts, the Allied Command Transformation project, which has its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.

In addition, France and Italy are to be given joint leadership of one of the three NATO regional commands, that in Lisbon, Portugal.

Obama and Sarkozy last met briefly in Paris in the summer of 2008 when Obama, then a presidential candidate, visited several European capitals.

The American president is expected to return to France on June 6 to take part in festivities commemorating the anniversary of D-Day. (dpa)