DJ Sarkozy Breaks From Egypt Holiday For Talks With Mubarak -AFP
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AFP)--French President Nicolas Sarkozy broke from his closely watched holiday with new girlfriend Carla Bruni on Friday to hold informal talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, sources on both sides said.
Mubarak hosted a breakfast for the French leader in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where Sarkozy had arrived with his ex-supermodel turned singer lover on Thursday evening for the second leg of their Christmas break.
He was joined in the resort by his Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Egypt's top diplomat Ahmed Abul Gheit also joined the morning meeting, the official MENA news agency said, without elaborating on the agenda.
The French president is staying in a luxury villa behind the high walls of a vast seafront complex owned by his United Arab Emirates counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the emir of Abu Dhabi.
Security was stepped up ahead of his arrival in the resort, which was the scene of deadly 2005 bombings targeting Western holidaymakers in which 65 people were killed, an Egyptian security official said.
During his holiday, Sarkozy has been making controversial use of a private jet lent to him by his billionaire businessman friend Vincent Bollore, who already loaned him the use of a private yacht off Malta for several days just after his election in May.
France's socialist opposition again questioned the transparency of the president's decision to use the aircraft, asking what favors Bollore was expecting in return.
The magnate denies seeking to influence the president, noting that less than 1% of his holding company's turnover comes from government contracts.
On the official leg of his tour which begins in Cairo on Sunday, Sarkozy will not be accompanied by Bruni whose appearance in a formal capacity alongside her lover could spark outrage in conservative Egyptian society.
The president and his second wife Cecilia announced their divorce in October after 11 years of marriage. Since then, he has been seen publicly with Bruni but has remained tight-lipped about their relationship.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 28, 2007 06:10 ET (11:10 GMT)
