FRENCH PRESIDENT VISITED SPAIN

Nicolas Sarkozy made his first visit to Spain as President last week, although he has visited the country several times in the past almost as a native son - his wife Cecilia is the granddaughter of the famous Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz. During his meeting with Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the main item on the agenda was how to breathe life back into the European Constitution, which the French voted against, and the Spanish voted for in their respective referendums. They also agreed to continue to fight against terrorism, most notably against the Basque terrorist group ETA, in which the French police have been so successful that ETA members are now seeking refuge in countries further afield, such as Britain and Italy. Mr Sarkozy also met his old friend, opposition leader Mariano Rajoy, before having a private diver with King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia and other members of the Royal family.

THE INFANTA LEONOR GREETS HER BABY SISTER

Edition: 525

Crown Prince Felipe and the Infanta Leonor collected Crown Princess Letizia and the couple's second daughter. Sofia, last Friday from Madrid's Ruber International Clinic where she was born on Sunday, April 29th. Princess Sofia was born by Caesarean section and weighed 3.3kg. Doctors said she was slightly longer and thinner than her sister, who was born at the same clinic on October 31st, in the middle of another "puente", as Prince Felipe pointed out to the press last Monday. However, he said the baby's timing was better - she arrived around 5 pm instead of 3 am in the morning as her older sister did - and the weather was better, sunny instead of raining. He said the new baby would be named after her grandmother, Queen Sofia, the first royal granddaughter to bear that name. Sofia is third-in-line to the throne, after her father and sister, and her birth eases immediate pressure for the government to reform the constitution, which gives future male siblings precedence to the throne. In line with his views on gender equality, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced shortly after coming to power that he would change the law so that females have the same succession rights as males. However, this would need the support of two-thirds of both houses of parliament and require parliament to be dissolved and new elections called.

DAY OF THE ARMED FORCES A LOW KEY AFFAIR THIS YEAR

Edition: 325

Saturday 31st May was the Day of the Armed Forces, and King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía presided over the main ceremony to commemorate the event, accompanied by Prince Felipe, the heir to the throne. This year’s event was very low key compared with other years, in tribute to the recent death of 62 Spanish soldiers who were killed when their plane crashed into a mountainside in Turkey while they were returning from Afghanistan. The key ceremony at Gando air base in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, lasted only 35 minutes, just 30 planes took part in the fly-past, and there was no traditional “wine of honour”. Speaking afterwards, King Juan Carlos said he hoped everybody would understand – and he knew they would – that this could not be a day of celebration because of last week’s tragedy. A short meeting took place after the ceremony between the King, military officials and guests, and one person who had been present is quoted as saying afterwards that there was a noticeable sense of general depression in the aftermath of last week’s tragedy.