In the gilded Jerome room of the premises of the French Ministry of Culture, a small group gathered to witness the Minister of Culture, Donnedieu de Vabre, give a laudatory speech about Ismail Serageldin, and bestow upon him the order of Officer of Arts and Letters. The small ceremony was attended by a few eminent persons from the French cultural scene and Egypt's ambassador to France, Hatem Seif-el-Nasr.