THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: François Fillon, the French prime minister inflamed a row over the government's links to Arab dictators by admitting he enjoyed a free holiday on the Nile over the New Year paid for by Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.The admission comes amid calls that Michèle Alliot-Marie, France's foreign minister, resign over a New Year holiday in Tunisia during which she twice used a private jet owned by a tycoon allegedly close to the country's deposed president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Mr Fillon claims he admitted to the trip "in the interests of transparency" although appeared to be designed as a damage limitation exercise, as the satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaîné was due to break the story on Wednesday.
In a statement, Mr Fillon's office said his family were treated to a free holiday from December 26 to January 2 in the Nile resort of Aswan, then went on a Nile boat ride and a flight on an Egyptian government plane to go sightseeing, all courtesy of Mr Mubarak.
"The prime minister was lodged during this visit by the Egyptian authorities," the statement said.
Unlike Mrs Alliot-Marie, however, Mr Fillon's trip took place before there was any hint of anti-government unrest and there was an official side to it, as he met Mr Mubarak in Aswan for 90 minutes on December 30. >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Tuesday, February 08, 2011
