KEY POINTS:
The new French first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, apologised yesterday for comparing a magazine website to French collaborators who "denounced Jews" during the 1939-45 war.
Last week, the website of Le Nouvel Observateur claimed that, in a text message, Sarkozy had offered to "drop everything" if his former wife returned to him. Sarkozy has started a legal action against the magazine for "forgery" and "receiving stolen goods".
In an interview with a rival news magazine, L'Express, Bruni-Sarkozy said: "If these types of website had existed during the war, how many denunciations of Jews would there have been?"
The first lady immediately placed a statement on the L'Express website admitting that the comment was a "mistake". "If I upset anyone, I am extremely sorry. I just wanted to say how badly I view these personal attacks, which degrade reporting."
- INDEPENDENT
