PARIS-French President Nicolas Sarkozy has emphasized his strong determination to carry out the Grand Paris plan for major new infrastructure developments around the French capital. Asked about the project on a recent visit to the port of Le Havre, the end of a proposed Seine corridor from Paris to the Atlantic coast, he said, "Nothing and no one will prevent me."

The development of the Seine corridor is a key element of Grand Paris. "Carrying out the Grand Paris plan, with Le Havre as the capital's port is an issue of national importance,” Sarkozy said. “If necessary, I will come back here every year to drive this project forward." In particular Le Havre needs investment to improve the movement of freight, he noted, bemoaning constraints on development from rigid administrative procedures. "If Louis XIV had faced today's planning regulations, he would have found it difficult to build Versailles." He said he will table new legislation if necessary to advance Grand Paris.

Sarkozy insisted that a planned high-speed rail link from Paris to Normandy must be built by 2017, whereas many experts do not see this LGV line (Liaison