France to have first lady, Carla Bruni soon

www.chinaview.cn 2008-01-07 08:41:58 Print

·French President Nicolas Sarkozy would marry his girl friend on Feb. 8 or 9. ·Sarkozy gave her a heart-shaped diamond engagement ring. ·Sarkozy and his wife of 11 years, Cecilia, divorced in October.

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy would marry his girl friend, former supermodel Carla Bruni on Feb. 8 or 9, media reported Monday.

The report said that in December -- less than a month after Sarkozy met Bruni -- he gave her a heart-shaped diamond engagement ring.

Sarkozy and his wife of 11 years, Cecilia, divorced in October. Their marital problems became well known in May 2005 when she appeared in public at the side of event organizer Richard Attias.

A marriage to Bruni, a one-time star of the catwalks who is now a singer, would be Sarkozy's third: He divorced his first wife, Marie, in the late 80s -- after he had met and befriended Cecilia.

Political analyst Dominique Moisi said that a Sarkozy proposal to Bruni could be part of his desire to head off any future controversies, and its speed would fit with his personality as a busy man in a hurry.

"Apparently, he's going to be marry her, so the problem will be behind him," Moisi said. "He will multiply the opportunities to travel with her, (and) to say to the French, 'You see, I must remarry ... You need a first lady."'

"He's trying to seduce the French," Moisi said.

Bruni, an Italian-born French citizen, has dated famous men including Mick Jagger and Donald Trump. She has also reportedly been linked to singer Eric Clapton and actor Vincent Perez.

Sarkozy, new girlfriend have holiday in Egypt

www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-26 08:14:09 Print

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) --

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his new girlfriend, former model Carla Bruni arrived in Luxor, Egypt, Tuesday for a private visit.

Sarkozy and Bruni, wearing sunglasses and dark casual clothes, were seen holding hands as they arrived at the Luxor airport, according to media reports Wednesday.

Surrounded by heavy security, the couple was promptly whisked off in a convoy of Egyptian presidential security cars to Luxor's famed Old Winter Palace hotel on the east bank of the Nile.

Security was also stepped up around the hotel and at the three archaeological sites.

Bruni and Sarkozy would spend three days at the Winter Palace and would also travel to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik on Thursday.

The French president is scheduled to start an official visit to Egypt on next Monday, when he meets President Hosni Mubarak, according to the French Embassy in Cairo.

His appearance came two months after the French president's divorce from his wife of 11 years, Cecilia, as pictures of Sarkozy, 52, accompanying model-turned-singer Bruni, 39, at Disneyland Paris were splashed all over the French press.

The longtime model Bruni, an Italian-born French citizen, won critical and public acclaim for her first folk album in 2003, singing in a raspy, whispery voice.

Bruni has a son from a previous relationship, while Sarkozy has two elder sons from his first marriage, and a third son from his marriage to Cecilia.

According to French media, Sarkozy borrowed a private plane from French billionaire Vincent Bollore for the trip.

The French president's department has declined to comment on Sarkozy's trip to Luxor, saying it is a personal affair.

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