Aircraft cause govt headaches
Foreign secretary defends using private jet of Ben Ali ally at Christmas, while Air Sarko One used to fly Paris-Brussels
PLANE travel is causing headaches for the government, with both President Sarkozy and the Foreign Secretary Michèle Alliot-Marie under fire for misusing aircraft.
Alliot-Marie has been defending her position as Foreign Secretary after it was revealed she was lent a private jet for a Christmas holiday to Tunisia by a friend of ousted leader Ben Ali.
The minister said she would not resign in an interview with Le Parisien yesterday, adding: "In my private life, with my family and friends, I'm not an official representative, I unwind."
She said that protests in the country during her visit were limited to two small regions, and had not yet spread into the movement that eventually toppled the Tunisian leader.
France was criticised at the time for its slow and half-hearted support for the Tunisian revolution.
STORY: Lukewarm message to Tunisians
President Sarkozy has also been criticised after Belgian newspapers revealed he used both his new A360 “Air Sarko One”, plus a separate government Falcon 7X, to fly from Paris to Brussels, a journey of 300km between two cities linked by a high-speed railway line capable of completing the trip in one hour and 20 minutes.
The trip took place last Friday for the summit of European leaders.
Photo:Joshua Davis
