Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni
Posted on 01/07/2008 7:21:53 PM PST by DogByte6RER
Saudi official calls on French president to visit kingdom without girlfriend
Monday, January 7, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: A senior Saudi official called on French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday to respect Saudi Arabia's conservative Islamic culture by visiting the country later this month without his former supermodel girlfriend.
Sarkozy, who divorced his wife Cecilia in October, has flaunted his relationship with Carla Bruni on recent holidays in Egypt and Jordan, drawing criticism that he is being too loose with the presidential image.
The Saudi diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Sarkozy should leave Carla Bruni behind for "religious reasons" when he visits the kingdom on Jan. 13.
Under the strict interpretation of Islamic law enforced in Saudi Arabia, unmarried or unrelated couples are not permitted to be alone together. Westerners are expected to abide by the rules in public, and many hotels will not check unmarried Western couples into a single room.
Sarkozy's office said the composition of the delegation has not yet been finalized. However, several officials in France, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said Bruni was not planning to go to Saudi Arabia.
The French president was criticized by several Egyptian officials in December for sharing a room with Carla Bruni while in Egypt on vacation, local media reported. Saudi Arabia is more conservative than Egypt, where unmarried Western couples are allowed to share hotel rooms.
The French newspaper Le Journal Du Dimanche, citing unidentified sources, said Sunday that Sarkozy proposed to Bruni in December, and the two would wed in early February.
The presidential palace declined to comment on the report.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
RELIGIOUS REASONS?!?!
Sarkozy is NOT a muslim so there should be no religious reason for him to leave his fiance behind. As a foreign leader he has diplomatic immunity and he should invoke this.
Truth be said, I don't know why any leader from the West would want to visit a backwards ignorant and xenophobic country like Saudi Arabia.
Be that said...I hope that Sarkozy tells the Saudi trogoldytes that if his fiance can't come along, then he will cancel the trip altogether.
Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni
OO La La!
FWIW, it makes me respect the guy more.
Update: If he will beat his girlfriend with a stick, and she wears a burkha, she will be welcomed to SA.
I think the ink dried yesterday.
The religion of perpetual outrage.
Rank discrimination.
They’d never do that to Hillary.
Just call her a foreign maid, beat the hell out of her, and nobody will object to that at all.
Agree to all your comments. He is NOT a Muslim.
unbelievable death cult freaks.
Reminds me, Has anyone seen Huma lately?
France doesn’t need “The House of Saud”. Let crude go to 200 bucks a barrel. The solution will be quick and devastating to the Mid-East.
I find this incredibly hilarious, especially in the world of high diplomacy.
This one HUGH LOL.
Leni
Herman Monster was right.
I’m hardly a fan of the ROP, but in this case...
Her son’s grandfather was also her lover. There is enough “EWWW!” in that statement to make me sympathetic with the Saudis on this one!
She makes Paris Hilton seem clean-cut.
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