Movie stars to join French leader in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Hollywood stars Marion Cotillard and Melanie Laurent will be joining French President François Hollande in his two-day state visit starting Thursday.

The French Embassy in Manila said the visit, the first by a French head of state since the establishment of ties with the Philippines in 1946, will highlight the partnership of the two countries in the fight against climate change.

Environmental advocates Cotillard, an Oscars Best Actress winner, and Laurent, star of Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds," and Orthodox Church Patriarch Bartholomew I are among the dozen personalities in the French contingent to the Philippines.

France's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Laurent Fabius, Minister of State for Development and Francophony Annick Girardin, and Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Ségolène Royal will also accompany the Hollande.

Special Envoy for the Protection of the Planet Nicolas Hulot, who was in Manila in January, will also return as part of the presidential contingent.

French business leaders and high officials from various international organizations will also be traveling with Hollande.

Invitations to George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and Leonardo di Caprio were earlier proposed by France to the Department of Foreign Affairs to be part of Hollande's visit. The actors, however, will not be pushing through.

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