Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy are Not Married Yet

Carla Bruni told a French newspaper that the rumors about her marriage with French President Nicolas Sarkozy are not true.  The couple is not married.

In an interview with Liberation, the Italian supermodel has said that she will not be joining Sarkozy on his visit to India as to “put protocol-conscious bureaucrats in Delhi out of their misery” (Times Online).

Apparently Indian officials were concerned about how to treat Ms. Bruni.  The confusion of her status, whether she is a first lady, a “first girlfriend” or a private visitor troubled Indian officials as the decision would have determined where she sat at official banquets or whether or not she was allowed into meetings with the President and the Indian Prime Minister.

Tarun Vijay, a Panchjanya editor, told the Calcutta Telegraph yesterday, "Sarkozy has put his hosts in a spot. If he were bringing his wife, she would have been given the highest honour. The girlfriend cannot get the same status.”

Vijay continued to say, "This is something unusual and embarrassing, not just for the Indian Government but also for the French. The occasion his coming here for is a very serious one. It is definitely not going to be amusing for the host country."

Bruni solved the problem by saying, “I cannot take part in an official trip with the President.”