The head of President Nicolas Sarkozy's partysaid Sunday that he wants a law to ensure that Muslim women who wearface-covering veils do not acquire French nationality.
XavierBertrand, head of the conservative UMP party, said that the full veil"is simply a prison for women who wear it" and "will make no onebelieve" a woman wearing it wants to integrate.
France is moving closer to banning such veils. A top UMPlawmaker already filed legislation to ban it and a parliamentarycommittee studying the issue turns in its report on the veil by month'send.
Bertrand made the remarks Sunday while delivering New Year'sgreetings to UMP members in Nice. He said that for him such veils havenothing to do with religion, and everything to do with gender equality.