President Nicolas Sarkozy of France on Wednesday urged the US to maintain a strong dollar policy, warning on his first official trip to Washington since being elected six months ago that “monetary disorder risked turning into economic war”.

In a speech in French to a joint session of Congress – the first by a French leader for 11 years – Mr Sarkozy also attacked the “excesses” of Wall Street, saying the land of free enterprise gave too much room for financial speculation.