Dubai, Nov. 27th, 2008 --H. E. France's President Nicolas Sarkozy praised the publication issued by the Centre of Information Affairs in Abu Dhabi on the occasion of his visit to the United Arab Emirates in January this year.

The publication of the book reflects close relations and constructive cooperation between the two friendly countries in political, economic, scientific, and cultural fields. The book tackles Sarkozy's political march, highlighting the offices and posts he assumed and his political interests as well.

Beijing  - China put the blame for its postponement of next week's China-EU summit on French President Nicolas Sarkozy because of the EU president's plans to meet the Dalai Lama.

China delayed the summit that had been planned for Monday in Lyon, France, because the atmosphere for it was poor and it would not achieve its expected goals, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Wednesday night, according to a report in the official Xinhua news agency.

Berlin - The leaders of France and Germany called Wednesday for a relaxation of the European Union's stability and growth pact in order to cushion the effects of the global financial crisis.

Some countries might be forced to exceed the pact's tough fiscal rules which limit new borrowing to 3 per cent of GDP, Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicholas Sarkozy said.

In a joint newspaper column for Germany' Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the French daily Le Figaro, they said disputes over deficit criteria needed to be avoided in such "exceptional times."

Paris  - France and Germany agree that lowering the Value Added Tax (VAT) is not an effective response to the economic crisis, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday.

Despite signs that a sharp economic contraction was taking hold, the two leaders also reaffirmed that they expected the European Union to hammer out an agreement this month on climate change.

"When we lower the VAT, what does that bring? Only lower prices. We think other measures, such as emphasizing innovation and research, would be more effective for our economies," Sarkozy told journalists after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Washington, Nov 21: Carla Bruni, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has revealed that her husband is very supportive of her career as a musician.

However, the singer, songwriter and former supermodel admitted that being a president’s wife initially made her wonder if she could actively pursue a career in music.

Paris - The French government will establish an investment fund of 20 billion euros (25 billion dollars) to support French companies and protect them from foreign takeovers, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced on Thursday.

Speaking to workers in the central French city of Saint-Julien de Chedon, Sarkozy said the "strategic investment fund in the national interest" is to be managed by the Caisse des Depots, a government financial institution under the control of parliament.