Sarkozy's holiday raises eyebrows

Not for the first time, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's choice of foreign holiday destination has raised eyebrows at home.

In May, he cast aside a traditional French aversion for conspicuous displays of luxury with a stay in the Mediterranean on a billionaire's yacht, including a short stop-over in Malta, just hours after being elected.

The Boston Globe reported that the 52-year-old was heading to the United States for a summer break, a choice seen by some as symbolic of his desire to improve US-French relations severely strained by the invasion of Iraq.

Le Parisien daily said the President and his family would stay in a vast villa in Wolfeboro on Lake Winnipesaukee, north of Boston, which costs some $30,000 per week to rent.

The Elysee Palace declined to name Mr Sarkozy's holiday destination but confirmed he and his family were near Boston.

Regional daily L'Alsace noted that Wolfeboro was not far from US President George W. Bush's family estate in coastal Kennebunkport, Maine, suggesting the two leaders may use the opportunity to get to know each other better.