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| Paul Biya Back In Yaounde |
| Parfum de Montreux |
| Chantal Biya’s Days in Montreux |
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After a three-week stay in Switzerland, the President of the Republic Paul Biya and First Lady Chantal returned to the national capital last Saturday evening. President and Mrs Biya left the country on Thursday, October 21 for the 13th summit of the International Organisation of the Francophonie that held at the Swiss city of Montreux from October 22 to Sunday, October 24.
The aircraft carrying the presidential couple and a handful of close aides touched down at the Yaounde-Nsimalen international airport at about 6 pm. It then took about 15 minutes to taxi into its final position at the airport’s presidential lounge. As the couple alighted from the plane, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Djibril Cavaye Yeguie, the Prime Minister Philemon Yang, the Minister of State – Secretary General at the Presidency, Laurent Esso and the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Cameroon, Etienne Thevoz were on hand with a warm welcome. The couple then made the 75 metre-odd distance to the lounge on foot. At the entrance, several other ranking officials welcomed the President and the First Lady: the Minister-Deputy Secretaries General at the Presidency Peter Agbor Tabi and Seraphin Magloire Fouda, the Deputy Director of the Civil Cabinet Joseph Le, the Delegate General for National Security Martin Mbarga Nguele, the Director General for External Research Léopold Maximie Eko Eko, the Governor of the Centre Region Roger Moïse Eyene Nlom, the SDOs for Mfoundi, Jean Claude Tsila and of Mefou-Afamba , Sibama Pichok as well as the Government Delegate to the Yaounde Urban Community Gilbert Tsimi. The President of the Republic then went into one of the lounges while the First Lady, joined a number of wives of senior officials, went into another.
President Biya then invited a number of officials to brief him in short audiences. The President of the National Assembly, the Swiss Ambassador, the Prime Minister and the Minister of State-SGPR took turns in this pithy exercise.
In under 30 minutes it was all over. As the couple headed for the limousine, they made it a point of duty to stop briefly to acknowledge the presence of dance groups that had kept the presidential lounge precincts in a festive mood some three hours before the aircraft touched down. Night had already fallen on Yaounde, but the 20 kilometre ride to State House must have been a relish given the beautiful weather of Saturday evening.
