Riyadh: A senior Saudi official called on French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday to respect Saudi Arabia's conservative Islamic culture by visiting the country later this month without his former supermodel girlfriend.
Sarkozy, who divorced his wife Cecilia in October, has flaunted his relationship with Carla Bruni on recent holidays in Egypt and Jordan, drawing criticism that he is being too loose with the presidential image.
The Saudi diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Sarkozy should leave Carla Bruni behind for "religious reasons" when he visits the kingdom on January 13.
CNN-IBN adds: Meanwhile, France is speculating that Sarkozy will marry Bruni on February 9. If those rumours of a valentine wedding are true, Sarkozy may be planning a honeymoon less than four months after divorcing Cecilia, but his political honeymoon with the French public could be over.
Media commentators and left-wing opposition have lined up to accuse Sarkozy of neglecting the day-to-day concerns of the people for his high-profile romance with Bruni.
Even members of his own right-wing UMP party have begun to criticise the president for putting his private life on public display.
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