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| Europe |
| Chirac salutes Blair |
| 2003-05-06 |
| Coffee and food warning - you might feel the urge to vomit... Jacques Chirac has pledged his "loyal friendship" to Tony Blair in a birthday greeting accompanying a gift of vintage wine. President Chirac used the Prime Minister's 50th birthday as a chance to build bridges after the Anglo-French divisions caused by the Iraq war. The gift which arrived from Paris - six bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and a crystal decanter - contained a note which amounted to more than just the polite pleasantries between world leaders. It was written in the very personal "tu" form of the French language instead of the formal "vous", offering "very warm wishes" and expressing the "personal estime" of the French President. The full message said: "Dear Tony, Knowing how much you love visiting France, it is my pleasure to offer you a present illustrating the quality of the land of our country, which you know so well. I am sending you my very warm wishes for happiness, health and success, and for your family. I add the expression of personal estime and my loyal friendship. Looking forward to seeing you in Evian (at the G8 summit in France next month)." |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #3 Chiraq offered him Chateau Mouton Rothschild at a state dinner a couple years ago. That would have been an intended insult, rather than a gaffe. Bush's refusal sent an interesting message that ChIraq would have been wise to have heeded. While it would have been easier for Bush to accept the wine, the message was that he would not allow decorum to be used to mask reality in his dealings. |
| Posted by: Becky 2003-05-07 04:51:00 |
| #2 Along the same lines as what TGA said, unless Tony & Jacques are close friends, using "tu" is pretty damn condescending, even in a birthday greeting. I guess he still thinks he's Blair's superior. And he scolded the Eastern Europeans for not being well behaved??? Pure unmitigated gall..... |
| Posted by: Baba Yaga 2003-05-07 00:44:07 |
| #1 Tony should be just SOOO touched that Jacques used "tu" instead of "vous". In return, Tony should call Jacques "tu-faced" rather than "two-faced". Personally, I'd set aside all six bottles for ship launchings and fill the decanter with a good Irish whiskey. |
| Posted by: Tom 2003-05-06 21:35:16 |