Bruni apologises over interview

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France's First Lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has apologised for comparing a French magazine to the war-time pro-Nazi press.

In an interview, she criticised an online report by the Nouvel Observateur about President Nicolas Sarkozy.

She told L'Express magazine: "If this kind of site had existed during the war, what would have happened with the denunciation of the Jews?"

She has since said she was "extremely sorry" for her comments.

'Extraordinary'

The French president is suing the Nouvel Observateur news weekly after it reported he had text-messaged his ex-wife Cecilia offering to call off his marriage to Carla, if she would come back to him.

It was Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy's first media interview since marrying President Sarkozy earlier this month.

The Nouvel Observateur, which stands by its claim, said Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy's remarks in L'Express were "quite extraordinary", "idiotic" and "pathetic".

She later issued a statement on L'Express's website, saying: "If I upset anyone, I am extremely sorry."

She said she had only meant to highlight how much she disliked personal attacks in the press.