German president attends Bastille Day celebrations for first time

Horst Koehler Tuesday became the first German president to take part in the annual military parade to mark the Bastille Day celebrations in France. A day earlier, more than 300 cars were set on fire in riots in Paris.

Along with Koehler, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was invited as a special guest for the annual military parade in Paris.

The parade is one of the grand occasions in the French calendar and marks the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789, traditionally seen as the start of the French revolution.