The only change since the currency crisis, he says, is that his French partners in the project have raised interest rates on their loans.

Discovery and its French partner, Ellipse Programme, paid nearly $3 million to produce the program.

As one French partner said recently, "Bruce is a good businessman, and he is very clever."

Critics of the government cite mis-management, corruption, and the pull out of the power agency's French partner at the beginning of 2002.

Mind you my French partner was shocked by what she perceived as my foul-mouthed language.

By 1996 the Guangzhou government decided it no longer wanted a French foreign partner.

His contract was now unmakable, and after going down he immediately apologized to his French partner.

It would be a small price for Germany to pay to keep its French partner in the boat at this precarious stage of European integration.

But the French partners have no intention of making wine from what they view as lowly Argentine grapes.

Senna was asked if he thought the commission was formed specifically for him and his French sparring partner.