President de Gaulle is first president of the Fifth Republic

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General Charles de Gaulle has been proclaimed first President of the new Fifth Republic in France during a brief ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

As part of the proceedings, held in the great reception hall of the palace, the collar of the Grand Master of the Legion of Honour was placed around the incoming president's neck.

Retiring president, M. Ren?Coty, welcomed the new president saying: "The first among Frenchmen is now the first in France."

A salute of 21 guns was fired on the banks of the Seine to mark the solemn occasion.

Under the new constitution President de Gaulle is also the head of the French Community - which includes most of the former overseas territories in French Black Africa.

Speaking for the first time as president, General de Gaulle said: "In the majestic character of this ceremony the renovated institutions of the Republic and the new institutions of the Community enter into force.

"Long live the Community, long live the Republic, long live France."

The inauguration was attended by a large number of dignitaries including the President of the Senate and the Assembly, representatives from all the state institutions of France, members of the judiciary, academics and military representatives.

The 12 African Premiers of the republics also attended.

Following the ceremony, President de Gaulle, accompanied by ex-president Coty, was driven to the Arc de Triomphe, where he rekindled the flame at the tomb of the unknown soldier in memory of France's war dead.

And within an hour of officially taking up the reigns of power President de Gaulle carried out his first presidential duty by appointing committed Gaullist Michel Debre as his prime minister.

The new French government was approved by the President this evening.

The installation of President de Gaulle marks the end of an eight-month transitional period in France following near civil war when Frenchmen in Algeria staged a revolt.

Pol Pot and many of his Khmer Rouge soldiers have begun retreating

The capital, Phnom Penh, has been seized and Pol Pot and many of his soldiers forced to retreat into the countryside.

It signals the end of nearly four years of brutal domination by the guerrillas.

Defeated soldiers crossed the border into Thailand where they were taken to prison as illegal immigrants.

The Thai authorities have said they will not be forcibly returned to Cambodia.

Thousands more are reported to be seeking refuge in an enclave of North West Cambodia.

The retreat is a serious blow for the Khmer Rouge, which having itself captured Phnom Penh four years ago began torturing and killing its opponents.

Fall of Phnom Penh is critical

An intelligence source said there was little evidence of an organised defence between the Cambodian capital and the Thai border - and that Phnom Penh was taken almost without a shot being fired.

It has been suggested that the Khmer Rouge decided to pull out of positions around the capital when they realised they would have little chance at beating the superior armed opposition.

The Vietnamese invasion came after a fierce year-long border war between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Vietnam launched its offensive on Christmas Day, with the help of pro-Vietnamese rebels in Cambodia assembled a few weeks earlier under the banner of the Front for National Salvation.

The fall of Phnom Penh is regarded by analysts as critical to the power balance in South East Asia.

Russia has firmly supported Vietnam while China has backed Cambodia.

crevasse: a deep fissure（裂缝）