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Sarkozy cruise in choppy waters

Angelique Chrisafis

— PHOTO: AP

The Paloma yacht belonging to French businessman Vincent Bollore, carrying French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy and his family, enters Valetta Grand Harbour, in Malta, on Wednesday.

Paris: He has toiled for 30 years to become French President, displaying an energy once likened by his rivals to a turbo-charged Duracell bunny. So when Nicolas Sarkozy departed this week for a three-day break, supporters said it was well-deserved. But the President-elect's brief downtime on a yacht off Malta was questioned by the Socialist Opposition for sending the wrong signal to the nation.

Mr. Sarkozy is relaxing on the 60-metre Le Paloma with his wife, son, a small entourage and five security guards. He was said to be using the time to reflect on his future government and imminent parliamentary elections when he hopes to secure a majority to push through new labour laws and euro 15 billion of tax cuts.

One French website reported that the luxury yacht belonged to the industrialist Vincent Bollore, one of the richest men in France. It was not clear whether Mr. Sarkozy was a guest or had paid the roughly euro 1,10,000 three-day rate.

Patrick Menucci, an aide to Segolene Royal, said the cruise and Mr. Sarkozy's decision to stay at one of Paris's most luxurious hotels on the night of his victory were at odds with his message. Mr. Sarkozy had promised to be the humbled ``President of the people''.

``Everyone has a right to a holiday. But when you're a President, particularly a French President, I think that everything you do has a meaning,'' Mr. Menucci said. He added that if the boat belonged to Mr. Bollore, it would show Mr. Sarkozy's ``worrying'' link to big business. An Italian news agency reported Mr. Sarkozy telling a Maltese official he had come to the island to ``make honourable amends'' for a campaign ``gaffe''. In one of his speeches, he had talked of the need to strengthen the E.U.'s Mediterranean front forgetting to mention Malta, a lapse noticed by the Maltese Ambassador to Paris. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2007

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