PARIS - On February 23, 2009, the French International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni association, Cercle Jefferson, mailed copies of their annual alumni directory to members of the association.  This year's directory, however, contained a special letter from French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a fellow IVLP alumnus.

In the letter, Sarkozy congratulates Cercle Jefferson members on the success of their alumni association and on their contributions to promoting mutual understanding between the French and American peoples. Sarkozy writes, "Please allow me to reiterate my best wishes for the Cercle’s success and congratulate you on your efforts to promote French-American friendship."

Referring to the International Visitor program, Sarkozy writes that "this program is testament to the vitality and importance of citizen diplomacy, which means that, beyond the borders of a country, each citizen may legitimately advance our ideals and values through meetings and exchanges. These are the democratic values that the French and the Americans hold so dear."

IVLP alumnus Nicolas Sarkozy has served as president of France since 2007. Sarkozy previously served as France's Minister of the Interior, Finance Minister and as a deputy in the French National Assembly. He participated in the IVLP program in 1985 while he held the position of Mayor of Neuilly.

The Cercle Jefferson alumni association was founded by French IVLP alumni following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States as a way for the alumni to show their solidarity with the American people by promoting mutual understanding and by continuing the exchange of ideas that began with their participation in the International Visitor program.