French lawmakers will next month debate a formal resolution declaring France's strong opposition to the full Islamic veil and setting the stage for a law banning the burqa, the speaker said Tuesday.
"All of France will be saying 'non' to the full veil and ask that this practice be prohibited on the territory of the republic," Bernard Accoyer told reporters following a meeting with parliamentary leaders.
The non-binding resolution will come to the floor of the National Assembly on May 11 and be followed soon after by legislation spelling out areas where it will be illegal for French women to cover their faces.
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It will be the first time that the National Assembly will vote on a resolution, a measure that was brought in during the last constitutional reform in 2008.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has declared the burqa "not welcome" in secular France and is in favour of legislation to outlaw it, although he has also warned against stigmatising Muslims.
Lawmakers from Sarkozy's party are pushing for a total ban of the full-face veil but the State Council, the top administrative body, has warned that such a measure could be challenged in court.
Home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority estimated at between five and six million, France has been debating a ban on the veil, with supporters arguing it is a sign of creeping fundamentalism that must not be allowed to take hold.
Opponents say the government has inflated the issue and note that only 1,900 women were the full veil, also known as burqa or niqab, in France.
