USA: French President Sarkozy refuses to say if he'll meet President Bush while on holiday in U.S., and tells French media to leave him alone
- 00:00:13
- ITN Source
USA: French President Sarkozy refuses to say if he'll meet President Bush while on holiday in U.S., and tells French media to leave him alone
French President Nicolas Sarkozy skips French vacation spots for a lakeside summer break in the United States, and tells the media trailing him to "go back to Paris" and let him enjoy his vacation with his family. French President Nicolas Sarkozy appeared on Sunday (August 5) to be enjoying the sun in the lakeside town of Wolfeboro in Maine, New Hampshire, in the United States, where he and his family are vacationing. But he seemed to be slightly exasperated at the flock of media following his every move. Sarkozy, who talked to reporters by the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, hinted at, but declined to confirm, a possible side trip to meet U.S. President George W. Bush. He also denied any connection between Libya's recent release of a group of foreign medics and an arms deal between Tripoli and a European defence firm. But he also told the media he wanted to be left in peace to enjoy his holiday with his family. "Yesterday I spent the whole day with photographers right under my nose," he said. "I'm going to answer all your questions and then you either go and enjoy the lake or go back to Paris," he said. He's staying at an estate with his wife Cecilia and son Louis north of Boston on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. The Sarkozy family plan to stay in the U.S. until around August 15. Wolfeboro is home to about 6,600 residents, though its population can triple in the busy summer months. Some reporters have criticised Sarkozy for taking a foreign vacation in the early weeks of a new administration. But French media have taken Sarkozy's choice to spend his first vacation since taking office in May in the United States as a sign that he wants to strengthen ties between the two countries. Wolfeboro, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Boston, is just 50 miles (80 km) from Kennebunkport, Maine, where the Bush family has an estate. President Bush is expected to visit Kennebunkport next weekend. A White House staff member in Washington also said that there was no announcement of a meeting. Relations between Paris and Washington had cooled after Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, vocally opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
ITN Source | August 6, 2007
