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India in seeming protocol fix as Nicolas Sarkozy’s state visit nears

NEW DELHI/PARIS: With a state visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy approaching, Indian officials are in a tizzy over how to treat his ex-supermodel girlfriend Carla Bruni if she travels with him.

Amid uncertainty over whether she will be making the trip, a senior Foreign Ministry source admitted in New Delhi that some officials hoped she would not come. “Let us take this one step at a time,” the source said on Friday. “As of now we have not yet got the list of delegates from the French government. So as yet we don’t know if she is coming. It’s only if she comes... we proceed to the next step which is her status. Then issues like seating arrangements [at official banquets] come into play.”

A protocol officer said the Indian government would take into consideration whatever status France accords to Ms. Bruni on the list before deciding where to put her.

It may sound petty, but all governments adopt stringent protocol measures to ensure smooth interaction at important meetings and events. And where Ms. Bruni should sit to watch the Republic Day parade on January 26 when her new love is the chief guest during the big day is not covered in standard procedures.

Contradictory noises in the media suggesting that the government is peeved or taking it all in its stride have added to the confusion.

“There will be no protocol problems from our side if she comes,” one Foreign Ministry official was quoted as saying. “It is for the French to decide whether she should be treated as the ‘first lady’ or not.”

Other reports quoted officials in New Delhi as saying they were irritated by the prospect of her visit. One official was quoted as saying that Ms. Bruni “might peel off to visit Agra,” home to the Taj Mahal, or to Rajasthan “in order to avoid protocol hassles.”

Mr. Sarkozy is due to arrive on January 24 for a visit that is expected to be dominated, at least at the official level, by discussions on nuclear energy and defence contracts.

So far there has been nothing from Mr. Sarkozy himself, who seems to be amusing himself by keeping people guessing. In a chat this week with reporters during a trip to Qatar, he commanded: “Stop being so fascinated by my private life.”

Mr. Sarkozy has refused all comment on a report in L’Est Republicain this week that said he might already have married Ms. Bruni at an intimate ceremony at the Elysee Palace on January 10. Other reports since then, however, suggested that the newspaper might have jumped the gun, and that they are still not wed. — Agencies

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India in seeming protocol fix as Nicolas Sarkozy’s state visit nears

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