Sarkozy visits India's monument to love

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (C) visits Taj Mahal, India's monument to love, in Agra yesterday. Taj Mahal was sealed off to tourists for a visit by the French President.Photo: AFP

French President Nicolas Sarkozy jetted to famed monument to love the Taj Mahal yesterday while on a state visit to India but without his supermodel-turned-popstar girlfriend Carla Bruni.
The 17th-century white marble mausoleum was sealed off to tourists for the brief visit, with Sarkozy writing in the visitors' book that his trip was "unforgettable," local officials told AFP.
Sarkozy's plan to visit the Taj Mahal had prompted intense speculation on whether or not he would be joined by Bruni, who has not been with him for the official events in New Delhi on Friday and early Saturday.
The 40-year-old Bruni herself told the Liberation newspaper earlier this week that she would not be accompanying the president as they were not yet married.
Foreign ministry sources in conservative India had raised eyebrows over the prospect of Bruni attending as a first lady due to protocol issues, although her joining him for the trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra had not been ruled out.
French officials were also apparently uncertain if Bruni would turn up at the last minute.
But going solo at the Taj Mahal, Sarkozy obliged photographers before flying back to New Delhi for a final function. He was due to leave India later on Saturday.