France’s ex-1st lady holds NY forum on women’s causes from sex slavery to prisoners’ babies
By APTuesday, June 22, 2010
Remade in NY: French ex-1st lady has new life
NEW YORK — A former first lady of France is hosting a New York City forum this week on issues ranging from sexual slavery to the plight of children whose mothers are in prison.
Cecilia Attias (AH’-tee-ahs) is now a New Yorker — married to global events organizer Richard Attias. She says the world is moving too fast to care anymore about her former marital troubles with President Nicolas Sarkozy (sar-koh-ZEE’).
Attias says she started her new foundation after flying to Libya three years ago and negotiating with Moammar Gadhafi (MOO’-ah-mar gah-DAH’-fee) for the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor held there.
Women from around the world then asked for her help.
She says her approach is simple: Leave formal diplomacy behind and speak “the language of the heart.”
