French PM casts doubt over report of Sarkozy-Bruni marriage
PARIS (AFP) — French Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Tuesday poured cold water over a report that President Nicolas Sarkozy had married former Italian supermodel Carla Bruni at a private ceremony last week.
L'Est Republicain newspaper quoted an unnamed "source close to a witness who attended the ceremony" as saying that the wedding was a "small, very private" affair held at the Elysee palace on Thursday.
But the prime minister said Sarkozy's workload on Thursday would not have allowed time for the president to attend his wedding.
Sarkozy hosted a Franco-Spanish summit and later met with military personnel and war veterans to offer New Year's wishes.
"Frankly, it seems to me that the schedule on Thursday doesn't square with your rumours," said Fillon. He said he knew nothing about the reported ceremony.
Sarkozy, 52, told a news conference last week that his relationship with 40-year-old Bruni was "serious" and suggested he planned to marry the former supermodel and pop singer.
In an interview to Italian public radio, Bruni's mother Marisa also cast doubt about the report.
"I have no information, nor does her sister who called me yesterday and said she had lunch with (Carla)," said Marisa Bruni.
"Everything's possible, but we are a very close family, and that would be very strange," not to inform us, she added.
In October, Sarkozy became the first French president to divorce while in office when he ended his stormy 11-year marriage to his second wife Cecilia Ciganer-Albaniz.
Sarkozy met Bruni in November and the couple have since travelled to Egypt and Jordan on vacation together.
