US embassy cable - 05PARIS3708

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003708 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, FR 
SUBJECT: SARKOZY ADDRESSES RUMORS, CALLS FOR CHANGE IN TV 
APPEARANCE 
 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary: Nicolas Sarkozy, France's most popular 
politician and president of the ruling Union for a Popular 
Movement (UMP) party, confirmed recent rumors May 26 that he 
and his wife Cecilia were experiencing marital difficulties. 
Sarkozy, in a prime-time interview on a major network, 
responded to a question, saying that his family, "like 
others," was currently going through a difficult time. 
Moving beyond family problems, Sarkozy sidestepped 
speculation that he would replace Prime Minister Raffarin 
after the May 29 referendum on the proposed EU Constitution 
and, despite reports that he was resigned to its failure, he 
proclaimed himself optimistic about the charter's chances of 
approval by French voters.  Most significantly, Sarkozy 
launched an appeal for "major structural changes" regardless 
of the May 29 outcome.  End Summary. 
 
Cecilia, You're Breaking My Heart 
--------------------------------- 
2.  (SBU) Rumors circulating in Parisian political circles 
that Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Cecilia were having marital 
difficulties picked up steam on May 22 following Sarkozy's 
last minute cancellation of his appearance on a major evening 
network newscast.  On May 23, Sarkozy implicitly acknowledged 
the rumors in a radio interview, but limited himself to 
saying, "respect my family."  Media reported May 23 that 
Sarkozy had missed the television appearance due to a 
"spectacular fight" with his wife and further speculation 
placed Cecilia in Jordan over the weekend with an advertising 
executive.  Sarkozy tackled these rumors early in his May 26 
interview on France 3 television, stating,  "The truth is 
very simple: like millions of families, mine has been 
experiencing difficulties.  We are in the process of 
overcoming them.  Do I need to say more?  I don't think so." 
 
You're Shaking My Confidence Daily 
---------------------------------- 
3.  (SBU) Sarkozy appeared visibly shaken in public 
immediately after the story broke, and there were additional 
rumors of his depression over the incident.  A number of 
contacts, who claim that they have seen Sarkozy up close at 
different events during the past week, report that he seemed 
unsettled and "not his usual self."  The media attention the 
story drew is unusual given the French tradition of 
refraining from reporting on the private lives of 
politicians, led many to speculate that there were political 
motives in spreading it.  Center-left daily Liberation 
attributed the rumors to Chirac allies within the UMP, and 
the muckraking investigative weekly journal Le Canard 
Enchaine wrote in its May 25 editorial, "Thanks to some 
zealous advisers at the Elysee, all Paris is informed of the 
marital misfortunes of Sarkozy."  Sarkozy made similar 
allusions during the interview, saying, "To get at someone, 
some people are prepared to resort to all sorts of behavior." 
 
 
Changing the PM Not Enough -- Structural Change Needed 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
4.  (SBU) Despite reports that he had privately questioned 
only whether the defeat of the referendum would be large or 
small, Sarkozy sounded an optimistic note in his interview. 
"I still think the  yes, can win," he said.  "We the French 
-- who want the Olympic Games, who want to host the world's 
athletes -- we're not going to begin by saying 'no' to the 
Europeans."  Most notable was Sarkozy's call, regardless of 
the outcome May 29, for "major structural changes."  "The 
question that we'll have to ask on the day after the 
referendum is: 'What are we going to do with the remaining 22 
months of Jacques Chirac's mandate?'"  Seemingly downplaying 
speculation about his possibly succeeding Raffarin, Sarkozy 
emphasized that his proposed reforms would have to go beyond 
changing the Prime Minister, stating, "Whichever man or woman 
it is, what does it matter?'" 
 
Comment 
------- 
5.  (SBU) The probe into Sarkozy's private life is rare in 
French politics, though some argue that Cecilia Sarkozy's 
high profile and the couple's efforts to present themselves 
as a power pairing open her to the same scrutiny as others in 
public life.  It is quite possible that, if not responsible 
for the rumors of marital woe, Chirac's allies fanned the 
flames and may have wished to portray Sarkozy as unfit for 
the pressure of higher office.  Sarkozy has clearly regrouped 
from the initial shock, and the manner in which he addressed 
the subject on May 26 appeared genuine and heartfelt. 
Indeed, opponents' attempts to sink Sarkozy by airing his 
dirty laundry could backfire; the unusual scrutiny may garner 
sympathy with the French public.  Sarkozy's resentment 
certainly will deepen the rift between him and Chirac, making 
even less likely that Sarkozy would be asked to serve as 
Prime Minister.  Sarkozy's call for policy overhaul 
regardless of the referendum outcome further accentuated his 
divergence with Chirac's state-oriented economic 
conservatism. 
WOLFF