THE TELEGRAPH: Rachida Dati, the French justice minister, has defended her decision to return to work five days after giving birth in her first interview since her lightning-fast maternity leave.
Miss Dati, 43, who has fallen from grace with President Nicolas Sarkozy, said that her decision to return immediately to work was personal and not an attempt to prove she was a "high-performance" superwoman.
"My health was up to it and I would have done nothing against my doctor's advice. You mustn't believe that I wasn't tired. Of course I was. I'm not 20 anymore. Moreover, I'm justice minister, I have my duties," she told Le Journal du Dimanche. "But, fundamentally, I believe that the most important right of women is freedom," she said, in an interview that was published on International Women's Day.
France's first minister of North African descent ignited a fierce debate after giving birth by Caesarean section to baby Zohra in January, with several feminists saying she had done a disservice to working women by rushing back to the office so soon.
The unmarried Miss Dati, who has described her private life as "complicated", reaffirmed that she had no intention of naming the father of her daughter, merely adding: "Of course I would have dreamed of starting a more conventional family, but life decided otherwise."
Among those who have denied being the father are Mr Sarkozy's brother François, a Qatari prosecutor and Jose Maria Aznar, the former Spanish prime minister.
Miss Dati, who is also mayor of Paris' chic 7th arrondissement, responded to allegations that have sapped her star status, including that she had bullied staff and magistrates, was more fond of fashion and gems than ministerial dossiers and had more or less been fired by Mr Sarkozy.
She defended her political record, saying that she had pushed through 30 reforms during her two years in the job, one of which other ministers had tried and failed to enact over several decades. She was not "impulsive or hot-headed", she said, but had natural "authority". >>> By Henry Samuel in Paris | Monday, March 9, 2009
leJDD.fr: Dati: "Le premier droit des femmes, c'est la liberté"
Rachida Dati a choisi la journée de la femme pour faire taire ses détracteurs et leur dire qu'à l'avenir, il faudra compter sur elle. La ministre de la Justice, qui va quitter prochainement la place Vendôme pour mener la campagne des élections européennes en Ile-de-France s'explique sur son parcours, sa médiatisation et ses réformes, et assume complètement son bilan.
Vous avez 43 ans, un premier enfant et vous changez de job. Au moins trois raisons de faire un bilan. Quel est-il?
L'événement qui a été le plus marquant pour moi, c'est la naissance de ma fille. J'ai longtemps cru ne pas pouvoir avoir d'enfant, ça a été une belle surprise. Quant au job, en briguant un mandat de députée européenne, je change de responsabilités mais pas de mission. Je reste au service des Français. J'ai l'honneur d'être ministre de la Justice, un ministère où le drame, la douleur, les difficultés sont le quotidien. J'ai plus que jamais envie de continuer à faire de la politique, c'est-à-dire d'améliorer la vie des gens. Ma capacité d'indignation reste intacte.
Depuis que vous êtes ministre, vous avez fait 30 unes de quotidiens et
60 couvertures de magazines. Mais ce sont votre personnalité, vos toilettes, vos amours qui ont monopolisé l'attention, pas vos réformes...
L'exposition venait de ma nomination. En me plaçant à la tête d'un ministère régalien, Nicolas Sarkozy a donné un signe fort à la société française. J'en ai accepté la contrepartie médiatique. Mais, vous savez, au bout d'un moment, vous ne vous reconnaissez même plus, ni dans les images ni dans les propos que l'on vous prête. >>> Propos recueillis par Anne-Laure BARRET, Marie-Laure DELORME et Marie-Christine TABET, Le Journal du Dimanche | Samedi 07 Mars 2009
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Relié) >>>
