Brussels - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer welcomed Tuesday plans by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to have France rejoin the alliance's integrated military command.

"The secretary general welcomes the announcement by French President Sarkozy that there are no obstacles to France rejoining the integrated command," NATO spokesman James Appathurai told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"It is now up to France to determine exactly when and how it wishes to do so," the spokesman added.

In 1966, then French President Charles de Gaulle withdrew all of the country's armed forces from NATO's integrated military command.

Skopje - Visiting p Scheffer Monday backed Mac