The President of the Republic arrived in Paris yesterday evening.

This morning at The Elysée, the French presidential palace, some 12 out of 14 African countries which obtained independence from France 50 years ago will confer with French President Nicolas Sarkozy over a working lunch. It will be no occasion to celebrate colonialism! Rather, as the French leader has been saying all this while, the lunch occasion, which will indeed precede the participation of these same African leaders at the Bastille Day celebrations tomorrow, will provide a useful forum to correct the errors of the past 50 years, shrug off the stigma of colonialism and chart a new path of realism which takes into account the fact that several of these countries which were colonies yesterday, have come of age and need to have new types of partnerships with their masters of yesteryears.

President Biya’s aircraft touched down at Paris’ Orly Airport VIP area at about 7.15pm (6.15 pm Yaounde time) just a few moments after those of his colleagues from Niger and the Republic of Congo had also touched down. The very special role President Biya will be playing during today’s event and the Bastille Day celebrations tomorrow were very manifest, beginning with the airport ceremony yesterday. He was the only African Head of State invited for the events to have been received on arrival by a French government Minister; in this case, the Secretary of State for Defence and Veterans Affairs, Hubert Falco. Closely on his side was Cameroon’s Ambassador to France, Lejeune Mbella Mbella.

After receiving a beautiful bouquet of fresh summer flowers from the youthful Ingrid Atangana who wished the President welcome to France, he and Mr Falco walked the 100 metre-odd distance into the VIP lounge where an advance party of senior Cameroonian government officials who had arrived in Paris earlier on Sunday were on hand to welcome him. On the welcome line were Messrs Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o, Minister-Delegate for Defence; Henri Eyebe Ayissi, Minister for External Relations; Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Minister for Communication; Luc Sindjoun, Special Adviser in the Presidency of the Republic and Major-General René Claude Méka, Chief of Defence Staff. The Head of State then proceeded to shake hands with senior diplomats of Cameroon’s embassy in Paris, the principal leaders of the two sections of the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement in France (France-North and France-South) as well as other ranking Cameroonians working for international organizations and resident in Paris. Out of the VIP lounge, the President received an impromptu standing ovation from some members of the Cameroonian community, notably CPDM members who danced and cheered with the President acknowledging their friendship as he waved back.

The presidential motorcade then headed for the Plaza-Athenée Hotel off the Champs Elysées in the posh Paris eighth district where he will be staying during his visit in the French capital. He had been preceded there by the First Lady Chantal a few days earlier.

Leadership Role

By selecting President Biya to be the spokesperson of his other African peers present in Paris for the Elysée working lunch of today, the President could be said to be enjoying his unchallenged birthright as the Doyen of all French-speaking or partially French-speaking African Heads of State. The French authorities see him as one who is unchallenged in his mastery of African issues.

He is seen as one of the few African leaders who can aptly articulate the problems Africa is going through today and commands the respect to get his point of view taken seriously in diverse decision-making caucuses.

The French authorities are not leaving anything to chance to ensure that Cameroon’s Head of State feels this special consideration and attention during his stay in Paris. Apart from the quality of the welcome yesterday, it is also noteworthy that he was the only leader whose resident compatriots in Paris were allowed to come to the airport to dance and chant for him. Of special significance also is the fact that he will arrive last of the invited Heads of State to the French national Day celebrations tomorrow. That may look like a detail, but in diplomatic practice, it counts. And much, for, that matter. On the sidelines of the presidential rounds in Paris, the First Ladies accompanying their husbands also have some business at hand. French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is expected to host a close-door lunch for them at the Elysée Palace later this evening. Cameroon’s First Lady, Chantal Biya will attend the event.