Flag of Egypt use until Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the formation of the United Arab Republic in 1958. In 1958, Egypt and Syria united as the United Arab Republic (UAR) and adopted a national flag based on the Arab Liberation flag, with two green stars (representing the two countries of the union) replacing the Eagle of Saladin in the white band. A modified version of the Eagle of Saladin was adopted as the UAR's coat of arms. The flag is now used as the national flag of Syria. Though Syria withdrew from the U.A.R. in 1961, Egypt continued to use the official name
France and the Commonwealth of Nations model amongst France's former colonial possessions and French-speaking countries. The French Union was created in 1946 and was succeeded by the short-lived French Community in 1958, which folded when its members gained independence. France and the Commonwealth of Nations Relations between the French Republic and the Commonwealth of Nations have undergone successive periods of change since the Commonwealth's creation. The Commonwealth's predecessor, the British Empire, was a notable rival to France's own empire. Even through eras of "Entente cordiale", decolonisation, and political integration with the United Kingdom (the leading Commonwealth member) in the European Union, there has been conflict between