Bruni outshines Sarkozy during visit to Spain (Roundup)

Apr 27, 2009, 13:35 GMT

Madrid - French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday began a high-profile state visit to Spain, aimed at reinforcing cooperation against terrorism and organized crime.

At the welcome ceremony presided over by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, Sarkozy offered an effusive handshake to Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whom he had reportedly criticized as 'not very smart' during a discussion on the French opposition.

The French government has denied such reports, and Sarkozy described Zapatero as a 'talented man' and a 'great figure in Europe' in an interview published on the eve of his visit.

The star of the visit was Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni, an Italian-born singer and former model who drew an unusually large number of media representatives to the welcome ceremony.

Cameramen feasted on her crisp white shirt and black skirt, and on the moment she and Sarkozy joined hands while listening to the French and Spanish national anthems.

After the official welcome ceremony, Monday's programme included a lunch with members of the royal family, a visit to the Prado art museum, and a gala dinner.

On Tuesday, Zapatero and Sarkozy were due to discuss security cooperation and French assistance to Spain's European Union presidency in the first half of 2010, among other issues.

French police cooperation has been crucial to Spain in the fight against the militant Basque separatist group ETA, which has killed more than 800 people over the past four decades.

ETA, which wants to create a Basque state out of northern Spain and southern France, has most of its logistical support based in France.

Sarkozy's visit to Spain comes 10 days after the arrest of Jurdan Martitegi, ETA's third military leader to be detained in France in just five months.

Paris and Madrid now want to intensify police cooperation against Islamist terrorism and organized crime, with Sarkozy and Zapatero expected to agree on the creation of a joint security committee.

The most controversial part of the plan includes joint action to detain and expel undocumented immigrants, according to media reports.

Spain and France are considering joint repatriation flights, with France taking an interest in repatriation agreements Spain has signed with African illegal immigrants' countries of origin.

Paris and Madrid also intended to increase exchange of information on Islamist extremists operating on the internet, and to allow each other to pursue drug vessels in each other's water zones.