Excerpt:
French conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon vowed Friday that his priority would be to fight Islamic extremism, which has prompted a state of emergency in France after a series of attacks.
Fillon, a major contender in France's two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7, proposed to put in place a European defense alliance led by France and Germany.
"The Islamic totalitarian threat ... along with the weakening of (NATO) through President Trump's rhetoric and contradictory signals, are forcing us to overhaul our alliances and take a second look at the question of European defense, which was neglected for too long," he told a news conference.