法國總理和外長日前陷入北非國家免費度假丑聞，致使薩科奇政敵借機對其提出批評。為了避免類似事件，法國總統薩科齊要求內閣部長們在國內度假。薩科齊在內閣會議上稱：“從現在開始，政府官員最好在法國國內度假。接受外國邀請需獲得總理和總統外交團隊的授權，以評估是否符合法國的外交政策。”不過，此次會議并未提及這項規定是否對總統本人有約束力。

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered his ministers to stay in France on holiday to avoid diplomatic gaffes after scandals over hospitality from authoritarian North African leaders.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered his ministers to stay in France on holiday to avoid diplomatic gaffes after scandals over hospitality from North African leaders.

Sarkozy bowed to criticism from rivals after embarrassing revelations that his prime minister and foreign minister accepted free holiday flights in Egypt and Tunisia, shortly before popular uprisings in both countries.

"From now on, members of the government must prefer France for their holidays," President Nicolas Sarkozy told a cabinet meeting, according to a transcript released by his office.

"It is imperative that we promote the spread of a true culture of ethics in French public life," Sarkozy said, in a statement that appeared to acknowledge a shift away from a traditional deference to French leaders.

"What was common a few years ago can shock nowadays. So it must be strictly monitored," Sarkozy said. "Citizens' expectations are higher and they are legitimate."

Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Tuesday admitted that he had a New Year family holiday on the Nile paid for by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie had faced calls to resign after she admitted using a private plane owned by a Tunisian businessman who was alleged to have ties to the regime of the country's ousted dictator.

Under the new rules for ministers, "invitations accepted abroad will be authorised by the prime minister and the presidential diplomatic unit... to see whether they are compatible with France's foreign policy," Sarkozy said.

It made no mention of whether the rules would also apply to the French president.

Some government allies had rejected the uproar by their opponents over the holidays, but Tuesday's revelation by Fillon raised broader laments over government ethics.

"A minister sees nothing abnormal in using an oligarch's plane or having his holidays paid for by a dictator. That's the most serious thing," Jean-Louis Roumegas, spokesman for the minority green coalition, said in a statement.

"The crumbling of the public spirit has reached the very top of the state," said Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Socialist parliamentary leader who had led calls for Alliot-Marie to resign. He called for a law to curb conflicts of interest.

Fillon promptly told the cabinet that such a bill would be "in the coming weeks," a government statement said after the meeting. "The prevention of conflicts of interest will be strengthened."

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(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）