Mrs Sarkozy Strides On To World Stage

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 7-14-2007 | Henry Samuel

[blam]

Mrs Sarkozy strides on to the world stage

By Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 2:05am BST 14/07/2007

Cécilia Sarkozy: unscheduled trip to meet Gaddafi

Barely seen in public since her husband became president of France in May, Cécilia Sarkozy shot to the forefront of European diplomacy yesterday after making an unscheduled trip to meet Col Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.

The surprise visit appeared to be Mrs Sarkozy's "coming out" after weeks of doubt and speculation over what role she might play as France's Première Dame.

The 49-year-old former model once said the idea of being First Lady "bored" her. Polls suggest that the French are keen on Mrs Sarkozy playing a "humanitarian or charitable" role, but not a diplomatic one.

Last month, her husband said the pair were "still looking and thinking" about what she might do. "She wants to take her time, to protect her family," he said.

Known to be a key political adviser to her husband, Mrs Sarkozy was expected to play a prominent part in his presidential campaign. Yet she virtually disappeared in the run-up to the election, even failing to vote for her husband in the decisive second round.

There were rumours that the couple were going through fresh marital problems after their brief separation in 2005.

But she resurfaced on his victory night and went on to steal the show at his inauguration ceremony.

At first, she kept a low profile, apart from an appearance at a G8 summit in Germany, where she brought new glamour to proceedings before abruptly leaving for "personal reasons". But she is now appearing on the national stage.

According to the newspaper Le Parisien, the First Lady may even replace her husband in today's Bastille Day televised interview - breaking a 26-year-old tradition.

She has her own diplomatic advisor and press officer, underlining her intention to play a more prominent role.

Mrs Sarkozy's visit to Libya came a day after its Supreme Court upheld death sentences against the six medical staff, convicted in December of deliberately infecting 426 children with HIV.

The verdict caused an international outcry, but is not final. Libya's Supreme Judiciary Council, headed by the justice minister, will review the case on Monday.

Mrs Sarkozy met Col Gaddafi twice and also visited the six condemned medical staff, before flying to Benghazi to meet families of the infected children.

"Cécilia Sarkozy is her husband's best messenger," said Claude Guéant, the powerful secretary general of the Elysée, who accompanied her to Libya. "Throughout the ages the president has had personal emissaries; who can better represent the president than his wife? With whom does he have greater proximity? Cécilia Sarkozy will be useful where she thinks she can be useful."

Mr Guéant said he was "reasonably optimistic" that the death sentences would be dropped, as the victims' families were "ready to accord their pardon" to the nurses. He added: "It appeared to us that the arguments we developed with Col Gaddafi ended by carrying the day."

But the mission could anger European negotiators, who have spent years trying to win the release of the nurses and had no prior knowledge of Mrs Sarkozy's visit.

Disgruntled EU officials expressed irritation at what some saw as a French attempt to claim credit at the eleventh hour for their possible release.

"The first we knew about it was when we got a call from Libya to say she was on the ground," said one.

[stm]

Not a bad looking lady. I wonder if she jogs

[az_gila]

“deliberately infecting 426 children with HIV”

The death penalty sounds like a reasonable sentence to me...

[ImpeachandRemove]

““deliberately infecting 426 children with HIV”

The death penalty sounds like a reasonable sentence to me...”

So you have confidence in the LIBYAN justice system to find facts and not act as a political kangaroo court?

[God luvs America]

or shaves her armpits...

[stm]

Or mows and trims the lawn