Under ‘Super-Sarko’, France Refinds Its Commitment to Human Rights
TIMESONLINE: President Sarkozy will meet Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya today as he seeks to reap political, economic and diplomatic benefits from his role in the medical workers’ release.

The French President, who is claiming credit for ending their eight-year ordeal, will want to enhance the international stature he has acquired since his election in May. He is also hoping to foster a special relationship with Libya that would pave the way for lucrative contracts for French companies with the oil-rich African state.

Having earned his Super-Sarko nickname after an active first two and a half months in office, he moved swiftly to capitalise on what is being portrayed in France as his latest triumph. “I promised to obtain the liberation of these women and that man and we have obtained it,” he said, while his advisers told journalists that he had been up all night finalising the deal.

President Sarkozy said that he had intervened out of compassion and a sense of duty that came from being at the head of a country claiming to be the birthplace of human rights. “The nurses, in my heart, were French,” he said. “They were French because they were unjustly accused and because they suffered and because we had to get them out of there.” He paid tribute to his wife, Cécilia, who visited Tripoli twice before flying the five nurses and the doctor to Sofia in the presidency’s Airbus 317. “Cécilia did a quite remarkable job,” he said. Super-Sarko flies to the rescue (more) By Adam Sage in Paris

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Why Did Cecilia Sarkozy Go to Tripoli?

Mark Alexander

Nicolas Sarkozy est l’hôte de son nouvel ami, Mouammar Kadhafi
LE FIGARO: Le chef de l’Etat est attendu à Tripoli en fin d’après-midi.

Attendu à Tripoli en fin d’après-midi, au lendemain de l’extradition des infirmières bulgares, Nicolas Sarkozy devrait s’entretenir avec Mouammar Kadhafi de "coopération tous azimuts, dans tous les domaines" avec la Libye, selon le porte-parole de l’Elysée, David Martinon. Même de coopération nucléaire ? La réponse est moins claire : "Je ne dis pas que la question ne sera pas évoquée, mais il n'y a rien de prêt sur ce sujet", a assuré David Martinon. Même flou chez la ministre de l'Economie et des Finances, Christine Lagarde : "On n'en est pas là (…) A chaque temps suffit sa peine", a-t-elle répondu, interrogée sur ce thème sur la chaîne LCI. Nicolas Sarkozy parlera de "coopération tous azimuts" en Libye (suivant)

Mark Alexander

Sarkozys Besuch nach Marokko wegen Terrorwarnung abgesagt
NZZ ONLINE: In Marokko hat man Hinweise auf einen unmittelbar bevorstehenden Anschlag. Die Regierung hob die Terrorwarnung auf die höchste Stufe an. Man ist offenbar so besorgt, dass man sogar dem französischen Staatspräsidenten Sarkozy von seinem geplanten Besuch abriet. Marokko hebt Terrorwarnung an: Sarkozy sagt geplanten Besuch ab (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Dirty Dealings: New Evidence Suggests Sarkozy Was the Victim of a Smear Campaign by Chirac and de Villepin
THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, was the victim of a smear campaign by his predecessor Jacques Chirac and former prime minister Dominique de Villepin, new evidence suggested yesterday.

The alleged plot was directed against Mr Sarkozy when he was interior minister in 2004, at a time when his two superiors were desperate to quash his presidential ambitions.

The fresh evidence, recovered by computer experts from the hard disc of a laptop belonging to a retired spymaster, could lead to Mr de Villepin being placed under official investigation.

It also stood to further tarnish Mr Chirac's legacy even though he cannot be questioned about the case because he was president when the events took place. Files 'expose Chirac plot to smear Sarkozy' (more) By Henry Samuel in Paris

Mark Alexander

Tsarkozy Marginalizes His Prime Minister
THE GUARDIAN: · Five-year programme seen as president's
· Fears of one-man rule sidelining parliament
The French prime minister, François Fillon, yesterday set out to answer the critics accusing him of acting as the puppet to the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, by outlining his roadmap for the nation.

Mr Fillon has been so overshadowed by Mr Sarkozy's omnipresent style that he has been dubbed "mini-me", someone happy to jog alongside the president for the cameras on morning runs, then step back into the shadows.

In a lengthy speech to parliament yesterday he set out five years of reforms to create a "new economy" and stem France's public debt. He promised to cut unemployment to 5% in five years, and to reform labour laws and overhaul France's struggling universities. But the symbolic address simply outlined Mr Sarkozy's programme, confirming Mr Fillon as a loyal lieutenant. "The president is the initiator, I'm the agent," he said.

Mr Fillon's speech came amid warnings from opposition politicians and the media that the "hyper-presidential" style of Mr Sarkozy, nicknamed "Tsarkozy" or "Emperor Sarko I", threatened to emasculate the prime minister's job, reducing it to a vice-presidential role. Emperor Sarko leaves PM to be just a messenger (more) By Angelique Chrisafis

Mark Alexander

Gott sei Dank gibt es endlich in Europa einen starken und vernünftigen Führer: „Ich habe meine Meinung nicht geändert: Die Türkei hat keinen Platz in Europa“, sagt Sarkozy
WELTONLINE: Der französische Präsident, noch recht frisch im Amt, plant eine neue Strategie, um die EU-Mitgliedschaft des islamisch geprägten Landes zu verhindern. Zugleich beeilt er sich zu betonen, dass dies nicht gegen das türkische Volks gerichtet sei. "Die Türkei hat keinen Platz in Europa" (mehr)

BBC:
Turkey unhappy at EU talks delay

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy Proves His Mettle In His Determination to Tackle the Problems of Darfur
TIMESONLINE: High on personal triumph from the European summit, President Sarkozy offered French leadership yesterday to resolve the conflict in Darfur.

“Silence is killing,” Mr Sarkozy told an international conference in Paris attended by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, and Chinese and other international officials. French troops are expected to be the largest contingent in a new

UNAfrican force to bring relief to the western Sudan territory where 200,000 have been killed in ethnic violence since 2003.

Unlike President Chirac, who took little interest in Darfur, Mr Sarkozy has made the crisis a priority. His Darfur push, promoted by Bernard Kouchner, the outspoken rights activist who is his Foreign Minister, is one of a whirlwind of initiatives that are dazzling the new President’s admirers and stirring unease among critics.

“If he carries on at this rate Sarkozy will quickly become the new Sun King, or he will burn up in a year or two,” said le Midi Libre. The Mediterranean newspaper was reacting to a streak of frenetic activity by the reformist “hyper-President” who is drawing comparisons with King Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Sarkozy the ‘Sun King’ takes lead to aid Darfur (more) By Charles Bremner

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy Gets Tough On Turkey: There’s No Place in the EU for Turkey, Says Sarkozy
BBC: The European Union is to start membership talks with Turkey this week in only two new areas instead of three, because of France's opposition.

Diplomats say France made clear its reservations, so the question was not discussed at a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says Turkey has no place in the EU. France snubs Turkey on EU talks (more)

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy Moves France to Centre Stage in Europe
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The new French president proved to be the crucial figure during a European Union meeting, helping to break down the resistance of Poland's identical-twin leaders to a deal.

The new French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has reasserted his country's traditional role at the diplomatic heart of Europe by emerging as the main force behind a deal that brought the European Union back from the brink of crisis.

Mr. Sarkozy proved to be the crucial figure during a fractious meeting, displaying a hyperactive style that helped break down the resistance of Poland's unyielding leaders. Sarkozy Takes Center Stage in Europe (more) By Stephen Castle and Dan Bilefsky

Mark Alexander

No Referenda for the Europeans: Such is European Democracy!

Photo of Nicolas Sarkozy courtesy of SpiegelOnline International

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: All of Europe's internal divisions were revealed at the Brussels summit. Once again, selfish national interests were promoted with tricks, threats and embarrassing haggling. Nevertheless, the result is a step forward for the European Union.

Of course, in the end there were only winners. Angela Merkel, Germany's new superwoman, chancellor in Berlin and, as a side-line, Europe's savior, summed up. She said, "everything that we wanted was achieved." France's President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that it was "very good news for Europe and for France: Things have been taken care of." Of course he had played a big part in it. As had British Prime Minister Tony Blair and many others.

Even Poland's President Lech Kaczynski, who had continuously threatened to torpedo the European Union summit, saw himself as a winner too. The solution that had been found for the EU Council voting system was "more favorable for Poland than the square root" -- a system the ruling Kaczynski twins had said they were willing to die for prior to the Brussels summit. The Fresh Impetus that Europe Desperately Needs (more) By Hans-Jürgen Schlamp in Brussels

Mark Alexander

Sarkonomics & the Sleight of Hand
TIMESONLINE: President Sarkozy’s sleight of hand in removing one of the European Union’s key objectives almost slipped through the final meeting of the 27 nations’ top diplomats preparing for the Brussels summit.

The so-called sherpas took five hours on Tuesday night to go through the draft German proposals line by line. It was a Hungarian diplomat who saw that something was missing.

The failed EU constitution proposed that the EU shall have “an internal market where competition is free and undistorted”. The phrase was included to make free competition one of the objectives of the EU, upgrading its status from the Treaty of Rome, where it features as a sub-clause.

Minutes from Tuesday’s meeting seen by The Times show that, near the mid-point of the discussions, the Hungarians drew attention to the redrafted statement. It included commitment to the internal market but omitted the phrase “where competition is free and undistorted”. Sarkozy secretly tried to rewrite rules on Europe: Germans were persuaded to slant statement in favour of protectionism (more) By David Charter and Charles Bremner

Mark Alexander

Blair outmanoeuvred
THE TELEGRAPH: European leaders were this evening close to agreement on a revamped constitution after France won a symbolic watering down of the EU's 50 year commitment to a free market economy.

Tony Blair, attending his last EU summit as Prime Minister, was forced into an embarrassing u-turn after being outmanoeuvred by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy over the removal of a commitment to "free and undistorted" competition in a list of the EU's defining objectives. Blair outmanoeuvred by Sarkozy on treaty (more) By Bruno Waterfield and George Jones in Brussels

Mark Alexander

A Relaxed Sarkozy, Cigar in Hand, Brushes Off Speculation About His Marriage and About His G8 Appearance Allegedly 'Under the Influence of Alcohol'
THE TELEGRAPH: The relationship between the French president and his wife Cécilia, who have separated before, has been under intense scrutiny.

But speaking to French journalists at the Elysée palace, a relaxed Mr Sarkozy, cigar and chocolates in hand, said: "Cécilia and I are judged on the basis of people's fantasies and not on what we are. So we just stay quiet."

His comments came ahead of his first televised interview since he took office in May. Addressing the French people last night, he vowed to push through his policies, no matter how unpopular some labour and tax reforms might prove. Sarkozy bats away talk of split from wife (more) By Henry Samuel in Paris

Mark Alexander

”Je ne bois pas une goutte d'alcool,” dit Sarkozy
LE FIGARO: Le chef de l’Etat précise qu’il n’était pas ivre mais essoufflé après avoir monté les escaliers quatre à quatre.

Pour la première fois depuis la fameuse conférence de presse du G8 sur laquelle il apparaissait très perturbé, Nicolas Sarkozy s'est expliqué dans le journal Le Parisien-Aujourd’hui en France de mercredi. "J'étais en retard, j'ai donc monté les escaliers quatre à quatre. Je n'avais rien de particulier à dire. J'ai donc demandé s'il y avait des questions. Je ne bois pas une goutte d'alcool. Je n'ai pas de mérite : je n'aime pas cela", explique-t-il dans les colonnes du quotidien. Vidéo du G8 : Sarkozy s’explique (suivant)

Mark Alexander

Clear Win for Sarkozy But No Landslide
THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party won a majority in the parliamentary elections in France last night but it failed to pull off the landslide "blue tsunami" many had predicted.

In a shock defeat, Alain Juppé, the powerful ecology minister and government number two, lost his seat in Bordeaux to a Socialist party candidate. The opposition Socialists did not suffer the record slump that many had predicted, according to early results.

The results were a blow to Mr Sarkozy, who has appeared to be unstoppable since his presidential victory on May 6. But his party's victory should still give him enough room to start pushing his reforms through parliament. Setback for Sarkozy in parliamentary elections (more) By Henry Samuel

REUTERS:
Sarkozy wins poll despite resurgent left

THE TELEGRAPH:
Royal and Hollande separate after 29 years

NZZ:
Dämpfer für Sarkozy-Lager: Überraschende Gewinne der Sozialisten

Mark Alexander

Blair, President of Europe? 64% of Germans, 60% of Britons and 53% of French Respondents Say He Would Not be Good for the Job, According to an FT/Harris Poll
FT: Tony Blair, the British prime minister, could end up swapping Downing Street for a job as the first full-time European Union president, under a plan being actively touted by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.

Mr Sarkozy is understood to have discussed the idea with other EU leaders ahead of next week’s European summit, Mr Blair’s last major international event as prime minister.

His support for Mr Blair taking on a big European job is a remarkable sign of Anglo-French rapprochement since Mr Sarkozy replaced Jacques Chirac as president last month. Push for Blair as new EU president (more) By George Parker in Brussels, John Thornhill in Paris and James Blitz in London

Mark Alexander

Illegal Immigrants Employed In Sarkozy’s Residence

Photo courtesy of the BBC

BBC: French police have launched an inquiry into how two illegal immigrants came to be employed at an official residence used by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The two men from Mali, who were renovating a house in Versailles, were arrested this week for having false residency papers.

They have now been released but could face prosecution or deportation.

Mr Sarkozy, who became president in May, has a reputation for being tough on illegal migrants.

He has promised to deport thousands of people without residency papers in 2007. Sarkozy illegal immigrant probe (more)

Mark Alexander

That Must Have Been One Hell of a Strong Bottle of Water, Sarko!
BBC: A Belgian newscaster has apologised for suggesting French President Nicolas Sarkozy was drunk during a news conference at last week's G8 summit.

A clip of the incident, posted on the YouTube video website, has been watched hundreds of thousands of times.

It shows Mr Sarkozy, who insists he is a teetotaller, appearing short of breath and euphoric before reporters. Apology over 'drunk' Sarkozy clip (more)

BELGIAN TV BROADCAST:
Apology over ‘drunk’ Sarkozy

Mark Alexander

Victory Seems to Be Assured for Sarkozy

Photo of Sarkozy courtesy of the BBC

BBC: Projections after the first round of France's parliamentary elections suggest President Nicolas Sarkozy's party is heading for a landslide.

Polling firms predicted that Mr Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party would increase its majority in the lower house, the national assembly.

Analysts say a big majority would allow the new president to press ahead with his sweeping economic reforms. Sarkozy party ‘set for landslide’ (more)

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy drohte Bush mit einer vorzeitigen Abreise des Gipfels sollte er nicht einlenken! Scheinbar, in Heiligendamm, soll es hinter den Kulissen heftigen Krach gegeben haben
SPIEGELONLINE: Am Ende einigten sich die G-8-Mächtigen doch noch beim Klimaschutz. Doch hinter den Kulissen soll es heftig gekracht haben: Frankreichs neuer Präsident Sarkozy drohte seinem US-Kollegen Bush damit, vorzeitig abzureisen, sollte der nicht einlenken.

Hamburg - Die Einigung zum Klimaschutz beim G-8-Gipfel in Heiligendamm ist erst nach einer heftigen Debatte zustande gekommen. Dabei habe Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy dem amerikanischen Präsidenten George W. Bush mit einer vorzeitigen Abreise gedroht, berichtet die "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung" unter Berufung auf ein geheimes Protokoll. Sie stützt sich dabei auf die Aufzeichnungen eines sogenannten Sherpas, eines hochrangigen Regierungsmitarbeiters, der die Debatte direkt verfolgte und Notizen für sein Team anfertigte. Sarkozy drohte Bush mit vorzeitiger Abreise (mehr)

Mark Alexander