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.

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