VIEWPOINT

STUDENTS of body language had a field day at the Evian summit meeting of the G8 leading industrialised nations. It is really quite extraordinary that men who spend their lives in the public eye cannot hide their dislike of each other even though they know that hundreds of cameras are trained on them. At this level of diplomacy it should be possible to shake hands in a neutral way and exchange a restrained smile even though you hate the guts of the other guy. Bear hugs are not necessary. The biggest give away, of course, is that distant look - “isn't that so-and-so at the other end of the room” - as the person you particularly want to avoid passes close by. There was one particularly fine example of this tactic among the Evian pictures with Mr Bush doing the long look and M Chirac realising that he wasn't going to be recognised. President Chirac is a body-language watcher's dream. His extravagant gestures, shrugging shoulders and mobile facial expressions are the epitome of what we all imagine to be the out-going French character. Tony Blair is quite different; all his communication is in his face and one photograph at Evian showed him as I have never seen him before. Standing next to M Chirac at a press conference he was almost unrecognisable - eyes hostile, mouth turned severely down and lower lip and face jutting out in defiance. His expression was almost of hatred. Whether this was directed at his host's words or at one of the British journalists bothering him about weapons of mass destruction we shall never know.