Sarkozy and his new friend Carla Bruni see the Egyptian sights

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his new lady friend, French-Italian singer Carla Bruni, spent Wednesday seeing the sights in the upper Egyptian Valley of the Kings, it was reported. The couple arrived in the southern city of Luxor on Tuesday to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in Egypt. Later Wednesday they are due to travel to the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula.

Sarkozy's itinerary will see an official meeting with Egypt's President Hosny Mubarak on December 30 to discuss issues dealing with trade and the political situation in the Middle East.

His trip was also to include "an open discussion with Egyptian writers and intellectuals," according to local news reports citing the Egyptian ambassador in Paris, Nasser Kamel.

Sarkozy, who has been divorced from his last wife for two months, was first seen with his new former top model girlfriend a week ago in Disneyland Paris.

In France, Sarkozy has been criticized for his closeness to billionaire industrialists and media moguls.

A Falcon 900 private jet has been made available to Sarkozy by French billionaire Vincent Bolore, and his and Ms Bruni's stay in Sharm el-Sheikh will be at the private villa of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Via earthtimes.org