Loyalty to cash payments: "Selon la radio, M. Chirac aurait décider de boycotter les cérémonies en raison de la présence éventuelle du président syrien Bachar al-Assad, invité par le président Nicolas Sarkozy." I really believe that Chirac was motivated to make up with the Bush administration after the invasion of Iraq partly out of fear of damaging revelations regarding his corrupt relations with Saddam Husayn. Saddam's chief of protocols wrote in his memoirs that Chirac's wife would get overwhelmed when a plane load of gifts would arrive to Paris, courtesy of Saddam. (thanks Laurie)