Tireless Sarkozy promises the moon

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PARIS — A visiting Arab potentate compared him to a "racehorse that has to be reined in" but President Nicolas Sarkozy continues galloping through issues, plans and projects showered on France with unprecedented profusion.

His opponents say his five-year mandate might not be enough to carry out his ideas intended to change France.

Skeptics say that so far, after eight months in office, the man dubbed "Sarko the American" has given France a high international exposure and a torrent of lofty slogans such as "reform without brutality," "a new renaissance" or "a policy of civilization."

"We're still waiting for action," wrote the leftist daily Liberation.

"We have been promised the moon but so far we are facing a honeymoon," quipped the satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine, referring to the president's highly publicized romance with pop singer and former fashion model Carla Bruni.

The couple's public appearances, including trips to Middle Eastern spas, and their defiance of established taboos caused a slight drop in the president's popularity rating apparently due to dissatisfaction among elderly women voters.

Undaunted and apparently tireless, Mr. Sarkozy continues racing on, scathingly critical of some of France's obsolete institutions, its educational system and hospital administration. His multiple promises prompted some newspapers to start referring to the "new frontier of Sarkozysm."

Unlike his predecessor Jacques Chirac, who thought France could not cope with any form of shock therapy, Mr. Sarkozy believes in reforms in every conceivable direction.

One of his targets are the rebellious youths, usually children of immigrants from France's former possessions in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, whose frustration periodically spills out of the graffiti-scarred urban areas with rioting and arson.

But, at least for the time being, Mr. Sarkozy has found foreign policy easier to handle.

His initiatives have included better relations with the United States, the idea of a union of Mediterranean nations, a promise to rejoin NATO'S military wing and a bold decision to locate a French military base in Abu Dhabi in the heart of the Persian Gulf area some time next year.

Facing the Strait of Hormuz through which some 40 percent of the world's oil supplies are shipped, the base will consist of naval, air and ground contingents of some 500 personnel. Its creation is seen by many as Mr. Sarkozy's signal that France will not remain indifferent or idle in the face of Iran's nuclear buildup.

This week, Mr. Sarkozy is visiting India, where he signed an agreement yesterday on nuclear cooperation with the country.

Underlying these decisions lies Mr. Sarkozy's conviction that France has a lot to offer Europe. While admiring Mr. Sarkozy's drive to make his country "the soul" of new Europe, not all European leaders share his views.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who was forced to step down Thursday after losing a confidence vote, is said to doubt Mr. Sarkozy's leadership qualifications and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appears to be somewhat skeptical.

"Meetings with him are not bad," she was quoted as telling a foreign diplomat. "He listens, he agrees. Then afterwards he turns things around. It's a challenge."