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After having passed half of the day in OECD center talking about the crises, the protectionism, the WTO Doha process, then 1 hour and 40 minute in the traffic for only passing through the small Paris, then 3 hours in the studio… I just want to take a break of watching the morning news, well, that’s what I see as the title…

But I haven’t even got a chance to go to his concert!

I didn’t know that the “pop king” could disappear one day…

Just like the Concorde plane that I always waited for an occasion to enjoy it.

Nothing is forever… cherishing what you have at present, and the people you love while they could still feel it.

Luckily the strange heavy rain fall down on Saturday, we really had the weather support for this year’s “fete de la Musique”.

Didn’t get time to check where Jack Lang chooses to go, I decided to go to the Elysée Palace just to see whether could get any image of the President together with his super model-singer wife.

Unusually the press had to be checked much more than the publics: we have to cue at the side gate, pass two security check gates, get a badge etc, then sent to a very small zone closed with red ropes as barriers, while the visitors could enter from the main gate widely opened.

There was the performance of the republic guards, of classical young musicians, operas, but the most interesting part is the last group with overseas Caribbean music. Just imagine in the yard of the presidential palace, a group of Caribbean musicians leading the whole crowds for singing, dancing, with their hands all raised, waving…

Isn’t it wonderful?

Unfortunately it exists only for one afternoon, and the long-waited president couple didn’t show out as expected.

A new discovery:

The “Pool images” could even be made form the top of the main gate. Even the former media consultant of the President didn’t know about that when I showed this picture to him.

Financial crises, AF330 accident, plus cold whether and heavy rain, the opening day was really not very exciting…

But still, once every two year, it is still worthy of visiting, better go by the helicopter shuttle, if you do not want to be blocked for two years only for going there.

Chirac is in Beijing, finally.

I’ve prepared this trip two times last year, both postponed.

This is the first time that I follow his visit after his retirement. Also the first time, for a trip in China.

Two days, much shorter than what had been planned, but, very rich.

Besides the « sinophile » given by the French, « best salesman »by the Chinese,  « Old friend » became another nick name of him. We heard that during the meeting with State Secretary DAI for lunch in a modern hotel, and with the President HU, for diner in « Diaoyu tai », the Foreign Guests’ Palace.

Rarely a former leader could  have reception as exceptionally as he received, see only the 4 meals he had in Beijing :

Received by the state secretary in charge of the foreign relationship;

Meeting and diner with the president of China ;

Lunch in the Institute of Foreign Diplomat

Meeting and diner in the Residence of the French Ambassador with the presence of the French community (the most privileged level only)

A swallow that brought the spring wind, that’s his brand new nick name given by the French Ambassador during his welcome speech.

Heard many rumours about his health, some programs were reduced, but we found him quite excited, and happy.

When I mentioned « my first St Valentine’s Day with him »,

(Summit Franco-African in Cannes, opened on the February 14 in 2007),

he said by showing me his cheek : « ah yes, but I’m still waiting for the kiss of the St Valentine’s Day »…

That’s the story of this picture.

It’s really different of following a « former » leader comparing to when he had the power. We are more relaxing, and, more anecdotes for decrypted the personality.

Every time when I went back to Paris, I’d like to find back things as it used to be ; while every trip to China, I could never be well prepared enough for the changes it had been made.

I could see the blue sky which I never thought it would achieved in Beijing, I can feel people become more polite than before after the Olympic Games, and this time, sitting outside a cafe under the about 200meters long screen, I laughed so much with my friends by joking: people are queuing everywhere for paying in the shopping centre, for eating in huge restaurants…but where is the world wild crises?

There is still terrible traffic jam although there is the « each car has one day off according to the last number rule » at present, we should change to « pair and impair each day off »? Lots of people will just simply buy the second car to be able to switch every the other day, so it seems that there is not really any solution for the heavy traffic problem in Beijing.

There is something I do appreciate in this trip. I was panicked so much before taking the plane back because I wanted to bring a lamp and a big banquet of artificial flowers with me on the plane. I do not think it will be allowed because I’ve being used to be treated badly in the name of « public security » in French airport, Paris is the worse, of course, I have to take off almost everything I wear… The travel becomes a very unpleasant experience.

So I was extremely nervous, almost sure that they are going to force me to throw those flowers as in each flower exist a long pointed wire…

“Beautiful flowers” that’s finally I’ve got as reaction while passing the security, with smiles.

Ah, I found that I am really not used to have smiles at the security gates in the airports.

Here sharing some nice food with you:-))

Simone Veil finally received a « legion d’Honneur », at the age of 81.

“You are a woman of character, a free woman (…) that I admire so much and for whom I have great affection,” said Sarkozy in the ceremony.

“The day that I die, it is the Holocaust that I think and all my friends with whom we have suffered so much,” said Mrs. Veil.

I always admire her, not only because she had suffered in the camp, but for her courage of fighting after having survived, of still staying an elegant woman at her age.

I do appreciate the lunch I’ve had with her a little bit earlier. It was the beginning of spring time; we had a nice view of garden from the room we were sitting in.

It’s was a small intimate lunch, she was more a lovely elegant lady than a female politician.

In a moment, we talked about the camp, she mentioned very slightly: « for a very long time, I’ve refused wearing dresses with sleeves not long enough… » after more than years, her eyes were still getting wet when she talked about that nightmare…

Then she changed the topics:

« Such a nice whether finally, what a lovely little garden »,

I felt at that moment a big tenderness in her eyes, very pure.

Bernard Kouchner meets Mahmoud Abbas today. As usual, a lunch meeting followed by a press conference. There are much more journalists today than in Elysée yesterday.

Most of the French journalists came not, or at least not only for the subject of “Israel-Palestinian” conflict, but for Bernard Kouchner himself.

Because of the book of Pierre Péan which is going to be published late this week (without being censored, which is something I do appreciate in France. Very few books could be forbidden to be published.)

During their lunch, while waiting for the press conference, we’ve got a message: there will be no question during the press conference!

This is  rare!

At the beginning of the conference, the Minister announced: No question will be allowed to ask about the Palestinian because Mr. Abbas needs to leave in a big hurry for Strasbourg.

The press conference finished after just 2 statements from each part. Then a journalist asked with very high voice: Mr. Ministre, could you please reply a question which is not about the Palestinian subject?

He had insisted several times without even a glance by Kouchner……No embarrassed topic, especially before the guest friend!

I had a conversation with this journalist earlier that morning, by exchanging the different versions of French and Chinese medias concerning the “throw shoes” accident in Cambridge University. French TV’s report stops the moment the offender shouted “dictator”, while the Chinese TV shows the long applauds after the Prime WEN said “This despicable act shall not influence the friendship between Chinese and British people”;But the completed version, and the publics reacts, like the people all around shouted at that guy “ Shame on you!” “Get out!” etc.,we could only see from Youyube.

Then we started to talk about how French journalists nowadays become more and more “polite” and obedient, comparing to British and American journalists.

Then we had the scene I mentioned above, no one continued to insist after.

No question.

No comments.

Here we are! From the 26°C of Cairo, to the -20°C Davos……

I am really torturing my skin.

About 2600 “leaders” , including 41 Gouvernement leaders, and bank presidents from more than 40 countries,  are gathering here for one week, to try to warm up the “after crise world”.

For us, each year in Davos we experience our own crises: fighting for the hotel rooms and getting crazy with the “high speed internet service” extremely slow… 1MBit/sec… We’ve got even faster service during the conflit in south of Libanon in 2006!…

Well, for a small town with only people coming for holidays most of the time, who had expected of having so many “business elites” all at the same time.

But why the WEF communication office does not think about setting up a temporary network service only for this period, even if just for a certain zone. Anyway, we have only 2 main streets here.

My job brought me to lot of cities, European, African, Middle-east… But this time, I discovered such a special and unique city : Jerusalem.

We’ve heard so many times this name, from the Jews, the Christians and the Muslim all over the world ; but only when you see with your own eyes, could finally feel what a magic mixture of all the tensions and harmonies combining into the deep and thin flow.

Many of my friends had received a very special New Year greeting from this Holy City. Here I’d like to give some ideas of your trip there, you have to go there even only once.

Try to find a reasonable price in a luxury hotel, at least for the first night, so that you could ask for a VIP welcome with staff waiting for you at the gate of the plane and bring you by car directly to the exit of the airport, you could avoid all the queuing lines. Enjoy the very pleasant beginning of your trip.

The hotel King David is really one of the first choices, which mixed into the history of Jerusalem. The rooms on the back side of the hotel give you an incomparable view of the old city and Mont Olive, plus the garden backyard, which connects with a big parking leading to one of my favorite « modern Jerusalem »– Yemin Moses, under the windmill.

If you passby, do not forget to say hello to the ”doorcat David” for me, she does normally the night shift on the welcome desk:-)))

There is very few hotels inside the old city. But you really should try the Austrian Hospice… It’s just unbelievable. I postponed my flight just for staying there for one night. You feel like living in a gallery, or a castle, with the best bird-eye view of the city while you are part of it. Especially, it lies right on the famous “ Via Dolorosa”, so you could walk on that street either in the evening, either in early morning when all the shops on that street are still closing… You could really feel something from the heart of this holy old city……

I still dream of Jerusalem…

and I am going back soon.

My New Year greeting to friends for 2009 was really a special one :

« A very special new year greeting from the City of Jerusalem…… »

Though read it so many times from the book, saw thousans of pictures and images about this holly city, but, the moment when I really entered this city of religions and conflits, I did feel a very strong emotion… The heavy history, the unique stone houses in harmony, and all the combats about the belonging of the city……I could not help for keeping tears…

The night in Jerusalem is so quiet, never felt the strange quietness in any other city. A friend of mine who was hesitating so much of coming made this comment :

“Ah, in USA, you could never be quiet with all the noises from the police to remind you that there are wars and terrorists, but here, in the center of all the combats, at the moment of war, I finally found the feeling of peace……”

May all of us find our own peace no matter where you are in this new year of 2009!