Nosy photogs pester Sarkozy on vacation 06/08/2007 00:00

WOLFEBORO, New Hampshire, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, rarely shy in front of cameras, found enough was enough Sunday when chased down by two news photographers while boating in his bathing suit on his American holiday.

Sarkozy angrily confronted two photographers and even jumped aboard their boat when they snapped pictures of him and his family, one of the photographers told AFP.

"Zut alors! French president loses his temper on Lake Winnipesaukee," was the banner headline Monday on the front-page of the local newspaper, the Union Leader. It ran with a photograph of an upset Sarkozy pointing his index finger directly at the photographer.

The incident occurred at about 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) Sunday, when the French leader and his family were taking a boat trip on Lake Winnipesauke, according to Vincent DeWitt, who works for Sipa photo agency.

DeWitt and an Associated Press photographer took off around 1 pm (1700 GMT) on a boat to get close to the swank vacation home Sarkozy was visiting.

"We could see some activity on the dock," said DeWitt. "The president, his wife and children went on a boat."

That is when he saw Sarkozy pointing at them. "I could see that he was angry," DeWitt said. "He had the boat captain steer towards us.

"President Sarkozy (then) stepped onto our boat. He started talking very agitatedly in French. Everybody was quiet except for him."

"He was pointing at me," DeWitt said, adding that Sarkozy even grabbed his long-lens camera.
 
A woman with dark hair then said in English in a very calm voice: "The president asked that no pictures were taken."

Sarkozy calmed down, and again asked that no pictures be taken.

Fabrice Chanudet, in charge of Sarkozy's security, told AFP that he had nothing to say about the incident.

Sarkozy arrived here on Friday and is staying with his family in a lakeside mansion. It is Sarkozy's first summer break since becoming president in May.

Wolfeboro, a leafy, quiet town of some 6,000 people by Lake Winnipesaukee in this northeastern state, is said to be the country's oldest summer resort.

AFP

Subject: French news