French leader's U.S. holiday raises eyebrows...again

PARIS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Not for the first time, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's choice of foreign holiday destination has raised eyebrows at home.

In May, he cast aside a traditional French aversion for conspicuous displays of luxury with a stay on a billionaire's yacht just hours after being elected.

Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported the 52-year-old was heading to the United States for a summer break, a choice seen by some as symbolic of his desire to improve US-French relations severely strained by the invasion of Iraq.

Le Parisien daily said the president and his family would stay in a vast villa in Wolfeboro on Lake Winnipesaukee, north of Boston, which costs some 30,000 dollar per week to rent.

The Elysee Palace declined to name Sarkozy's holiday destination but confirmed he and his family were near Boston.

''Mr and Mrs Sarkozy are on holiday, at the invitation of friends, in a house situated on the shore of a lake, a two-hour drive away from Boston. They went there with their family on a regular flight,'' a spokesman said.

Regional daily L'Alsace noted that Wolfeboro was not far from U.S. President George W. Bush's family estate in coastal Kennebunkport, Maine, suggesting the two leaders may use the opportunity to get to know each other better.

''It would really be astonishing if the two men would not benefit from this to meet each other,'' it said. ''Do you go on holiday without saying 'hi' to your acquaintances around the corner?'' Le Monde also argued Sarkozy's choice of holiday destination was significant.

''(It's) a highly symbolic place for the person who was criticised again and again for his Atlanticism during his presidential election campaign,'' the newspaper said, referring to opposition to Sarkozy's perceived pro-Americanism.

French politicians tend to emphasise the fact they spend their holidays in France, although Sarkozy's predecessor Jacques Chirac drew criticism in 2000 over his stay in a luxury hotel in Mauritius.

The Boston Globe said the owner of the property where Sarkozy was expected to stay for up to two weeks was Mike Appe, a former Microsoft executive.

Le Parisien added that the villa boasted a private beach, a marina which could dock four boats, a spa and rooms reserved for cinema screenings and video games.

Locals in Wolfeboro seemed determined to put frosty US-French relations behind them.

Under the headline ''Welcome Nicolas Sarkozy!!'', a Website devoted to Wolfeboro and Lake Winnipesaukee suggested some local restaurants for him to visit, and added: ''p.s. if you want to learn to wakeboard, the BEST water sport on winni, drop a line!'' REUTERS RS VC2115