French President Nicolas Sarkozy has reiterated his view that the full burka is not welcome in France, as a debate continues on whether to ban it. Mr Sarkozy did not explicitly call for a ban, saying no one should feel stigmatised by any eventual law. His UMP party is to put forward a bill this month banning the wearing of the Islamic veil in public, as a means of defending France against "extremists". Mr Sarkozy said the first step should be for parliament to adopt a resolution that would unequivocally condemn the burka – and then move on to considering a ban. He said no decision should be made until parliament hears the results of a six-month commission on whether a law banning such garments from public places was needed. The results of the Parliamentary report are expected to be published by 27 January. Home to Europe's largest Muslim population, France in 2004 banned burkas and other conspicuous religious symbols in state schools and by public employees.