Former ECB Chief Discusses Euro Zone's Woes
Governments of the euro zone that are struggling to prevent the euro crisis developing into a full-blown depression are navigating in uncharted waters, Jean-Claude Trichet told the AAPA on June 27. The former head of the European Central Bank told two dozen AAPA members that the euro zone has successfully weathered three crises since the Lehman Brothers collapse sparked a financial maelstrom in…
Euro Zone's Leaden Feet Frustrate Britain's Envoy
British Ambassador Peter Ricketts sipped Earl Grey tea with two dozen AAPA members over breakfast at the top of the Paris Thomson Reuters building, displaying his diplomatic knack for giving very little away and only letting the genteel demeanor slip briefly while expressing Britain’s frustration with the slowness of euro zone leaders to come up with a convincing solution to the debt…
The 2012 Gala: Raining down good cheer
Rain or shine, the Anglo-American Press Association’s Annual Gala is one of the year’s highlights. This year it was definitely rain. But the inclement weather dampened no spirits. This year the hosts were U.S. Ambassador Charles Rivkin--who along with the British Ambassador is an honorary AAPA co-president-- and his wife Susan Tolson. The Ambassador welcomed members and guests to…
An Evening with Guy Wyser-Pratte
We were twenty-odd members and guests, and with a "terrorist" in our midst at John Morris' loft on the evening of June 11th. The "terrorist" label for Guy Wyser-Pratte came from a French financial journal that called him an ex-marine qui terrorize nos patrons. Wyser-Pratte, who has been called other names, including corporate raider, in his forty years of shareholder activism, did not…
Meeting with Khadija al-Salami
On May 10, AAPA members were treated to a viewing of Yememi filmmaker Khadija al-Salami's "Amina,'' followed by a thoughtful discussion about the current situation in Yemen and the Middle East. The event was hosted by AAPA President John Keating at his apartment. Ms. al-Salami, who lives in Paris, is considered to be the first female filmmaker & producer in Yemen. Originally…
Lazard Chief Gives AAPA Members His Take On France, Europe
Lazard France CEO Matthieu Pigasse cut a smooth figure as he strode into Lazard’s boardroom for a breakfast meeting with some 20 AAPA members on April 30. His slim, pin striped suit and relaxed, open-shirt look were a surprising contrast to the somber portraits on the walls of the men who have run this venerable advisory and asset management firm for the last century and a half. At…
Longuet Briefs AAPA On Defense Issues
In another first for the AAPA, our members met with Defense Minister Gerard Longuet for breakfast at the ministry on the rue Saint Dominique on April 6. Questions covered a broad range, from the crisis in Mali to European missile defense and the stalemate over Iran. In an open and lively exchange, Longuet said France would definitely give logistical support to a regional, African force to…
Juppé Outlines Foreign Policy Concerns To The AAPA
“It’s been a long time since I’ve stopped believing in such a thing as ‘off’,” quipped French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, before launching into an expansive review of foreign policy issues for 30 AAPA members last April 5 after being asked if he was “on-the-record.” For almost two hours at the Quai d’Orsay, Juppe spoke about US-French and Franco-British relations, the crisis in Mali, elections…
US Envoy To UNESCO Provides Food For Thought
The US Ambassador to UNESCO, David Killion, must have heard the journalistic injunction “follow the breakfast” as there was an elegant table laid out for some 15 AAPA members April 3 at the ambassador’s residence in the 16th arrondissement. Not all press breakfasts are so well prepared, as those who have bitten into dry, industrial-quality croissants while scribbling in their notebooks on an…
Getting to Grips with Wikileaks
Anyone who comes up against the courageous, controversial Julian Assange, is "condemned to spend eternity discussing the cosmic meaning of Wikileaks," wrote the New York Times' editor Bill Keller recently, based on his deep involvement in the controversial saga. While our two-hour, convivial meeting with one of Assange's most-loyal supporters, Vaughan Smith, was no eternity, we certainly came…