What value in France's top award - the Légion d'honneur?

Ingrid Betancourt might have been the most high profile recipient of the Légion d'honneur on July 14, but another less well-known woman has also hit the headlines after she figured in the list of the "Class of."

For among the names was that of the judge who granted the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, his divorce last year. And for many that "honour" has once again brought into question whether the award any longer has a true value.

Nicole Chaubrac is a name that probably doesn't ring a bell with many people here in France, let alone abroad. But she was the judge who discreetly and quickly granted Sarkozy and his former wife, Cécilia, that divorce last October.

"I believe he appreciated that I didn't speak (to the media)," Chaubrac is quoted as saying in today's newspapers.

"And God knows how many journalists wanted to interview me," she added modestly.

But there's more that'll raise just as many proverbial eyebrows as Chaubrac's elevation and leave the French wondering what has happened to the prestigious order that many a cynical commentator says "half the country wants and the other half already owns."

On Monday, Jacques Séguela was bumped up from "Knight" to "Officer (there are a total of five different levels of the order).

"Jacques who?" you might well ask. Well, he's the publicist to whom the world at large, and France most specifically, owes a great debt of gratitude for bringing us all the fairy tale romance of the last 12 months.

For barely a month after Chaubrac had officially pronounced the marriage of Nicolas and Cécilia "over" Séguela played host to an intimate soirée at which the president met his future first lady! So a gong for Séguela?

Monday's list of course included the usual hundreds of those good old French citizens who have rendered civil and military service in one form or another to the country.

But it also contained a host of French celebs from world of sport, entertainment, business and politics. Yep since Sarkozy came to office even politicians seem to have celebrity status in France with the best known often gracing the pages of the country's weekly glossies.

Among the famous names awarded the Légion d'honneur on Monday were the fashion designer Sonia Rykiel and the actor Jean Reno (best known abroad perhaps for his roles in Le Grand Bleu, Nikita and the Da Vinci Code among many others). Another French actor was also honoured in the shape of Dany Boon, whose comedy film "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" became France's biggest grossing domestic box office hit this year with over 20 million viewers.

And so the list continues.

But why, many are asking, when there's already the perhaps more appropriate Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature) first awarded in 1957 to recognise significant contributions to the arts (in all its multitude of definitions) to both French and foreign nationals?

And there would certainly appear to be room for the purists to remain somewhat sniffy.

The Légion d'honneur was created in 1802 by Napoleon as an order of merit to recognise "outstanding services rendered to France or a feat befitting humanity."

And in the past it was limited to intellectual greats, artists, the military and in general those who had made what was considered an “important” historical contribution.

But it's the apparent trend to broaden the scope that has many questioning whether it any longer has a true value. Even bestowing the award on Betancourt's has not met with universal applause.

So what are the French supposed to make of the decision to honour Chaubrac and Séguela with the order?

And who knows, if the current apparent trend continues, perhaps the next time the list is drawn up the names of a certain happy couple who have just had twins on the French Riveria could make an appearance.

Betancourt's unsung hero

Since the dramatic rescue last week of 15 hostages held by Colombia's leftist rebel movement the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, much of this country's attention - if not the world's - has been focused on Ingrid Betancourt.

Finally though one of France's leading national daily newspapers, Le Figaro, has caught up with reports that have appeared elsewhere around the globe.

In today's issue it carries the story of the man without whom we would probably not have been able to share in Betancourt's joy as she stepped out of the 'plane on to the tarmac and into the lenses of countless cameras last week.

William Perez is the man Betancourt has herself described since her release as her "guardian angel." He was the one who fed her like a child when she was going through the darkest of her dark days during more than six years in captivity.

When Betancourt gave up the will to live and refused to eat saying she wanted to die, it was Perez who urged her to remain strong, who spoon fed her, who constantly reminded her she had to stay alive with "a spoonful for her daughter Mélanie, one for her son Lorenzo and one for her mother Yolanda."

A corporal in the Colombian army, 36-year-old Perez was taken captive back in March 1998 in the southern region of the country where he was stationed at the time.

He had basic medical knowledge and was able to use it to good effect to nurse Betancourt and his fellow captives with whatever supplies the rebels gave him.

The two might have come from very different backgrounds, Perez was the young soldier from a humble family, Betancourt the privileged daughter of a diplomat, and a presidential candidate. But their time together in captivity created a bond that few of us are likely ever to understand.

And that bond is likely to last no matter how different their experiences might have been since their release.

It's hard to switch on the radio, turn on the television or pick up a newspaper here in France at the moment without hearing, seeing, or reading the very latest news on Betancourt.

Feted by the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, on her arrival back "home" in France, Betancourt underwent a series of medical tests at the weekend at the Val de Grace hospital in Paris.

She has since been filmed having breakfast with her friend and former French prime minister, Dominique, de Villepin, has received an invitation to visit the Pope, and is expected to be decorated (by Sarkozy himself) with France's highest order, the Légion d'honneur, during the country's national celebrations to commemorate Bastille Day on July 14.

Back in the Colombian capital, Bogota, Perez underwent a similar series of medical checks before being awarded a promotion and a free family holiday that the Colombian government has reportedly promised all the released soldiers.

Sadly it'll be a holiday without his father, who died just a few weeks ago weeks, or his grandfather who had a fatal stroke on hearing of his release.

There are rumours that Betancourt will write a play and perhaps return to Colombia to run for political office.

Perez has apparently said he only wants to remain in the army and has volunteered to join rescue missions for the 700 hostages still held in the jungle.

Somehow their paths are likely to cross as it's hard to ignore the powerful statements both have made in interviews since their release.

Either Betancourt's, "He was my nurse in moments when I was in very bad health. I want to recognise him specially, because if it were not for William, I would not be here today."

Or from Perez, "We helped each other. My strength was hers and her strength was mine. When I was down, she was the one who lifted me up."

Ingrid Betancourt - a heroine's homecoming

When the 'plane carrying Ingrid Betancourt touches down on French soil later this afternoon she can expect to be welcomed "home" as a heroine.

Quite simply put, Betancourt has become a symbol of endurance in France during her years of captivity and the statements she has made since her release will only have added to her stature.

The reports first started filtering through on Wednesday afternoon here that Ingrid had been released from over six years of captivity and the France had what can perhaps only be termed as its own Kennedy or Diana moment.

The news had many people glued to their screens as the story was later confirmed and the first pictures appeared. There were reports of people "'crying with joy" and comments of a "general feeling of relief" for Betancourt and her family. Indeed those were the very words used by the French prime minister, François Fillion.

Regular programming was interrupted on both the major national TV channels, experts hauled in for their analysis and there were blow-by-blow accounts of the six plus long years of Betancourt's time spent as a hostage of Colombia's leftist rebel movement The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc.

It's not difficult to understand why Betancourt has become something of a national heroine here in France. Since she was first kidnapped back in 2002 while campaigning for the presidency of Colombia in a Farc-controlled area of that country her plight has never been far from the news.

Her two children - recently based in Paris - have been tireless campaigners for the release of their mother, as has her sister.

There have been marches, demonstrations, vigils and appeals from celebrities for her release over the past six years. Large posters of her face have hung from the entrances of dozens of French city and town halls - most notably Paris.

While not always making the headlines of the national press or television there has been constant behind-the-scenes pressure from consecutive French governments for her release. And there has been a persistent media campaign.

Before this week's events it's probably hard to imagine that people in any other European country would have so easily made the connection between Betancourt, Farc and Colombia.

And to a great extent the campaign for her freedom was increased when the current French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, took the unusual step of making her release one of his foreign policy objectives when he first came to office in May last year.

He backed up that promise by making two broadcast appeals directly to the Farc leadership, sending his foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, to Colombia, and having medical 'plane on standby here in France ready to leave at any moment.

France might not ultimately have been involved directly in her eventual release, but Betancourt's gratitude for the role the country had played was evident from the very first statements she made from the tarmac shortly after her release.

She thanked both the former French president Jacques Chirac, and one of his prime ministers and her close personal friend, Dominique de Villepin.

Neither man can be counted as one of Sarkozy's favourite people. On the contrary de Villepin is currently embroiled in the Clearstream affair in which it is claimed he tried to defame the character of Sarkozy in the run up to the centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire, (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) party's nomination of a candidate for the 2007 presidential election.

But differences aside, each man has undoubtedly played an important role in keeping the campaign for her release very much alive.

French interest can also be explained in the family ties Betancourt has to France. She has dual French-Colombian nationality through her first marriage, and her own family is of French origin. She and her sister, Astrid, spent many of their formative years in Paris, where they were brought up and educated, and Betancourt completed her studies at the prestigious Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (commonly referred to as Sciences Po) in the French capital.

Of course there has also been the inevitable backlash against the almost blanket news coverage since Betancourt's release. Some - perhaps mean-spirited people - have complained about the number of column inches and air time given to the story since Wedesday. And certainly in this age of rolling news with everyone desperate to find a new "angle" there seems to have been little else making the headlines.

But the long and the short of it is that the French do care. This is a story that they have been following for many years now. "Betancourt" and "Farc" have probably meant a great deal more to the average person on the street here in France than throughout the rest of Europe simply because the story has never really gone away.

Those who have called radio 'phone-ins to bemoan the amount of air time the story has received have in a sense simply added to the story by providing a new - albeit somewhat distasteful perhaps - angle in suggesting that Betancourt knew the risks she was taking in the first place when she entered the Farc-controlled area of Colombia.

Last year's defeated Socialist candidate in the presidential elections, Ségolène Royal, probably won't have done herself many favours on either the Right or the Left after she suggested that Sarkozy has been milking Betancourt's release for all the media publicity it's worth.

While it's certainly true that Sarkozy could do with a boost in his approval ratings - he's currently hovering at the mid-30s level - he has been hogging the limelight a lot less than he did when he helped secure the release of the Bulgarian nurses and doctor from a Libyan prison at the beginning of his presidency.

Admiration for Betancourt in France runs deep and there's no doubting that the country views her as a modern-day heroine, in particular for the way in which she handled herself during her captivity and the humility and dignity she has shown since her release.

She has not the world forget that there are still 700 hostages held by Farc and her statement that "It's time for me to thank the French, to tell them I admire them, that I feel proud to be French as well," will guarantee that welcome "home" she so richly deserves.

Ingrid Betancourt, interviewed on French public television, France 2, on her captivity, release and joy at seeing her family again.

BETANCOURT FREE

According to Colombian authorities the Ingrid Betancourt has been rescued.

The French-Colombian, former senator has been held prisoner by the Colombian rebel movement, FARC, since February 2002 when she was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency.

According to Colombian authorities, Betancourt was rescued on Wednesday, along with three Americans held by the rebels,

Several appeals had been made by the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, over the past year for her release.

Sarkozy is reportedly gathering Betancourt's family together at the Elysée Palace and is expected to make an announcement broadcast on television and radio within the next few hours.

Let's hope the story is confirmed.

Previous posts for background

http://www.persiflagefrance.com/2008/04/last-chance.html

http://www.persiflagefrance.com/2008/04/frances-renewed-bid-to-free-farc.html

France’s renewed bid to free Farc hostages

The French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, arrived in the Colombian capital, Bogota, on Monday in the latest attempt to negotiate the release of more than 30 hostages being held by that country’s rebel movement Farc.

But Kouchner faces an uphill battle especially after rebel leaders rejected a medical mission sent by Paris earlier this month to treat the most high profile of those captives, Ingrid Betancourt.

The French-Colombian, former senator has been held prisoner by the group since February 2002 when she was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency.

She is thought to be in a weak condition, suffering from Hepatitis B and a tropical skin disease.

Any progress on her release or that of any of the other prisoners was dealt a blow last month after Colombian troops killed one of the group’s leaders, Paul Reyes, during an attack in neighbouring Ecuador.

Along with the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, Reyes had been a key player in the group’s agreeing to free six hostages back in January.

Farc has hardened its stance since Reyes was killed and has said there would be no further release of hostages.

Kouchner remained tight lipped after his meeting with the Colombian president, Alvaro Uribe, but he’s known to back a humanitarian proposal that would see an exchange of the hostages for jailed rebels.

The next stop for the French foreign minister will be Ecuador on Tuesday, before flying to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to meet Chavez.

Many see the Venezuelan president is seen as the main hope to any real progress in negotiations with the Marxist rebels.

For its part, France has made repeated requests to Farc for the release of Betancourt since the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, came to power last May.

He has twice sent recorded television and radio messages appealing directly to the left-wing movement’s leader, Manuel Marulanda.

A last chance?

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has made a fresh appeal to the leader of Farc, the Colombian rebel movement, for the release of the hostage Ingrid Betancourt.

The French-Colombian, former senator has been held prisoner by the left-wing group since February 2002 when she was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency.

It was last December in the full throes of his Bling Bling presidency that Sarkozy took the unusual step of making his first direct call to the Farc leader, Manuel Marulanda, in a taped radio and television message.

He took a fair amount of stick at the time as detractors viewed the move as just another attempted media coup as he launched himself on the international stage. In the end his hopes to have Betancourt released by Christmas came to nothing.

This time around though it was a different Sarkozy making his recorded appeal once again directly to Marulanda. He appeared both determined and impassioned in a speech that shows he seems quickly to have acquired some of the necessary presidential gravitas that was perhaps until now lacking.

In urging Marulanda to act immediately, Sarkozy said the Farc leader now had a rendezvous with history.

“Release Ingrid Betancourt and the other hostages who are in a weakened state,” Sarkozy implored.

“Don’t lose this chance that’s being presented. It would be a grave political mistake as well as a human tragedy. It would be a crime and you would be responsible for the death of a woman.”

Betancourt’s is thought to be in a weakened condition and her life in danger. She is reportedly suffering from Hepatitis B, has a tropical skin disease and has been on hunger strike since February 23 – the day that marked the anniversary of her sixth year in captivity.

A video released late last year showed her in a weak and gaunt state

But just as important as the content of Sarkozy’s latest appeal is the fact that he has backed it up with a thought-out plan.

He had already been in touch with his Columbian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe, and secured his agreement to suspend all military operations in the area where Betancourt is being held and allow a humanitarian mission to recover the 46-year-old once her exact whereabouts are known. A ‘plane with two French emissaries and Red Cross representatives is on standby in Paris just waiting for the green light.

In an attempt to get the whole process moving along, the French government last week also offered to take in Farc rebels released from prison in exchange for Betancourt’s liberation.