Secretary of State John Kerry hails France as the United States ' `` oldest ally '' At that point , Francois Mitterand was in the presidential palace , while Chirac was prime minister . Britain , which touts its `` special relationship '' with the U.S. , wo n't join military action in Syria . Paris and Washington have not always seen eye-to-eye , notably on the 2003 Iraq invasion . ` The French government has been reluctant to take a leading role in international efforts against ISIS because it fears that doing so could lead to more terrorist attacks by militants who are fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad
Secretary of State John Kerry hails France as the United States ' `` oldest ally '' Britain , which touts its `` special relationship '' with the U.S. , wo n't join military action in Syria . Paris and Washington have not always seen eye-to-eye , notably on the 2003 Iraq invasion . ` The French government has been reluctant to take a leading role in international efforts against ISIS because it fears that doing so could lead to more terrorist attacks by militants who are fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad