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French President Jacques Chirac points as he leads the leaders past hotel staff in chef's hats after a working lunch and before the family photo at the June 1-3, G8 Summit in Evian, June 2, 2003.
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t wasn't all hard work at the G8 summit of the world's most powerful leaders. There was good food, lots of glad-handing and the prospect of sickly journalists.
If there's one thing you can say about the French, it's that they know how to put on a good lunch.
French President Jacques Chirac offered his colleagues a lunch Monday that featured specialities from the Haute Savoie region of southeastern France.
The assembled heads of state or government from Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States joined Chirac for crayfish, char -- lake trout -- from the nearby Lake Geneva, pigeon accompanied by new potatoes, assorted cheeses and a soft and creamy cake.
The wine, Roussette de Savoie, was a regional white.
The meal was prepared by a culinary school in Thonon, several kilometers from the summit site.
Afterwards the leaders posed for pictures with the young chefs.
Story One:
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was a late arrival at the summit after facing critics in his Social Democrats at a special party congress in Berlin that eventually swallowed his controversial social and economic reforms.
Schroeder arrived half a day after the first leaders, but was made to feel welcome by his buddy and host, French President Jacques Chirac.
Chirac congratulated him on getting his reforms adopted. At which point, everyone clapped. Including US President George W. Bush, whose relations with Schroeder haven't been rosy since they fell out over Iraq.
"I looked around to see who was clapping," a German official breathlessly told reporters. "They were all clapping."
Bush also shook Schroeder's hand, German sources added.
Story Two:
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| French President Jacques Chirac greets the the President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo following Obasanjo's arrival in Evian France Sunday June 1, 2003 to attend the G8 summit. |
Time waits for no man, so the expression goes, not even if your name is Olusegun Obasanjo, you're president of Nigeria and you've got a plane waiting for you at Geneva airport.
After dinner-table talks that obviously ended well past the dessert stage, the leader of Africa's most populous nation apologised for keeping reporters waiting, then again for cutting the press conference short.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to take leave of you," he said, impeccably polite as ever.
"First of all the airport has to close and if we don't leave we will not be able to take off."
Story Three:
 While Bush and Chirac were nabbing the photo-op limelight for their first tete-a-tete since their row over the Iraq war, two other leaders went almost unnoticed.
Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin exploited the photographers' fixation on the goings-on on the terrace of the plush Hotel Royal to wander onto the lawn.
There they divested themselves of their jackets for 30 minutes of relaxed talks, before Putin donned his jacket again and returned to the hotel for his turn in the comfortable armchair next to Chirac.
Story Four:
 Bush left the summit early, but the French hosts were keen not to let his departure look like an embarrassing politics of the empty chair.
As soon as he set off for the Middle East after a working morning session, his chair at the round-table talks was swiftly whisked away.
The US leader had been sitting in the front row, sandwiched between Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
After the chair was removed, Gary Edson, the US Group of Eight envoy, was left to cover the rest of the meeting on his own. In the second row.
(Agencies)
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参加此次法国埃维昂八国首脑会议的各位世界强国的国家首脑们的日程上并非都只是辛苦的工作。那里除了开会，还有美味珍馐、数不清的面带笑容的握手仪式和令人反感的记者们的望眼欲穿。
如果法国有什么特别值得一提之处的话，那就是法国人最懂得如何安排一顿像样的午餐。
6月2日，法国总统雅克·希拉克为与会的各位国家首脑们准备的是具有该国东南部萨瓦省特色的午餐。
来自英国、加拿大、德国、意大利、日本、俄罗斯和美国的国家首脑们享受了希拉克为他们准备的丰盛大餐：小龙虾、临近的日内瓦湖中的特产湖红点鲑鱼、鸽子肉配新鲜土豆、各式各样的奶酪、还有松软的奶油蛋糕。
午宴上喝的葡萄酒是Roussette de Savoie，一种产自萨瓦地区的白葡萄酒。
客人们享用的大餐是从远在几公里之外的托农运来的，由那里的一个烹饪学校操办所有菜品。
然后，各位首脑还不忘和这些年轻的大厨们合影留念。
见闻之一：
 德国总理施罗德因为参加一个在柏林召开的社会民主党的特别议会，所以此次峰会姗姗来迟。这个特别议会让施罗德焦头烂额，他的社会和经济改革提案备受争议，不过好在最终总算在会议上得以通过了。
施罗德晚了半天抵达埃维昂，不过他还是受到了他的老朋友，东道主希拉克的欢迎。 希拉克对施罗德国内议会通过了他的改革方案表示祝贺。在谈到这点的时候，与会的其他国家首脑们也纷纷鼓掌表示祝贺，美国总统布什也不例外，尽管这段时间以来由于在伊拉克战争问题上意见向左美德关系处于紧张状态。
一位德国官员小心翼翼地告诉记者说："我环顾四周看看都有谁在鼓掌，结果发现所有人都在拍手。"
德国媒体还报道说，除此之外，布什还和施罗德握手，彼此示好。
见闻之二：
有句谚语说：时不我待。没错，即使你名叫奥利斯肯·奥巴桑约，你是尼日利亚的总统，有一架飞机正在日内瓦机场等着你，你也必须抓紧时间。
宴会刚刚结束，而且显然是刚刚用完最后的甜点，尼日利亚总统奥利斯肯·奥巴桑约--这位非洲人口最多的国家的领导人就因为迟到而向守候在会场的记者们道歉，接着又为必须提前结束记者招待会道歉。
他一如既往彬彬有礼地说道："女士们先生们，我们现在必须离开了。如果我们再耽搁，机场就要关闭了，那么我们的飞机就不能起飞了。"
见闻之三：
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| 偷得浮生半日闲 |
美伊战争以来，美法关系一直持僵持状态。此次八国首脑会议是布什和希拉克美伊战争结束后首次面对面的会谈，因而吸引了记者们的闪光灯，成为此次峰会的焦点。如此一来，另外两位首脑就几乎被人遗忘了。
趁着记者们在豪华的皇家饭店的阳台上围着布什和希拉克，无暇顾及自己的空当，德国总理施罗德和俄罗斯总统普京溜到外面草坪上散步去了。 他们在那里脱掉了外套，闲话家常。30分钟后，普京才重新穿回外套，回到饭店会场，坐回到希拉克旁边、属于他的那张舒适座椅上。
见闻之四：
布什是提前结束峰会之行的，但是热情的法国东道主不想在布什离开后，他原先的座椅现在空空如也，在这场政治盛会上显得过于尴尬。
于是在结束了上午的工作会议，布什的座机起飞开往中东之后，他在圆桌会议上的座椅就马上被搬走了。
这位美国总统在会议期间一直被安排坐在前排，两侧分别是法国总统希拉克和英国首相布莱尔。 布什的座椅被搬走后，西方八国集团的美国特使盖瑞·安德森就担负起独自代表美国参加余下会议的任务了。不过，他的座位是在第二排。
译者按：
八国首脑会议(G8 Summit)由西方七国首脑会议演变而来，八国是指美国、英国、法国、德国、意大利、加拿大、日本和俄罗斯。
■70年代初，为共同研究世界经济形势，重振西方经济，在法国的倡议下，法、美、德、日、英、意等六国领导人于1975年11月在法国举行了第1次首脑会议。
■1976年6月增加了加拿大，形成七国集团，也称为"西方七国首脑会议"。
■1991年7月，苏联总统戈尔巴乔夫应邀同与会的七国首脑在会后举行会晤。从此每年的正式会议后俄罗斯领导人都要参加"7＋1"会谈，。
■1997年在美国丹佛举行七国首脑会议时，克林顿总统请叶利钦以正式与会者的身份参加会议，并首次�quot;八国首脑会议"的名义共同发表公报西方七国首脑会议演化为八国首脑会议，但在经济问题上依然保持七国体制。
(中国日报网站译)
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Updated: 2003-06-06 01:00
