DIPLOMATIC DANCE

Football diplomacy, absolute flooding in Sweden, swanky summer retreats… and the surprise departure everyone's talking about
BY GAIL SCOTT

France Hosted but Italy Won Earlier, Germany had played the happy hosts, inviting diplomatic friends over to watch the World Cup-until the semi-finals when Germany lost 0-2 to Italy. After that, a diplomatic scramble ensued. Since the Germans weren't feeling festive anymore and Italian Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta was away, ever-gracious French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte hosted the "football" diehards who devoured the huge Maison Française picnique avec beaucoup de vin et bierre. With his shirt sleeves uncharacteristically rolled up, Levitte warmly welcomed Italian DCM Stefano Stefanini, looking very relaxed in his crème linens. But the TV cameras perched to record this odd diplomatic moment got little. Both diplomats slipped out before Italy's 5-3 victory in overtime when French captain Zinédine Zidane was red-carded for headbutting his rival, Italian Marco Materazzi, who had taunted him. Later, after congratulating Italy, France's top diplomat recouped, "As a European ambassador, I am delighted that four Europeans teams reached the highest level … As a French ambassador, I am very proud of the superb achievement of our national soccer team which played extraordinarily well up to the final. Our thoughts go out to Zinédine Zidane: Whatever happened in those final moments … he has brought honor to French sports and to France."

Gail Scott	Former Colombian Ambassador Andrés Pastrana and wife Nohra Pastrana

Diplomatic Postcards Moroccan Ambassador Aziz Mekouar and his Italian wife Maria Felice, avid Chevy Chase Club golfers, followed the little white ball around Morocco where their home course is Rabat's Daressalam Royal Golf Club … Swedish Ambassador Gunnar Lund and his Norwegian wife Kari Lotsberg split their summer between Kari's 18th century family "hut" in the Norwegian woods, and sunny Sicily where Lund once spent a carefree student summer on a Vespa … Greek Ambassador Alexandros Mallias and his Swiss wife Françoise enjoyed their summer house on the Greek isle of Evia after a rendezvous in Geneva … Portuguese Ambassador Pedro Catarino and his wife Cheryl always retreat to their summer house in legendary Sintra where former kings have found the air so agreeable ... Expert horsewoman Diana Duenas, wife of Costa Rican envoy F. Thomas Duenas, couldn't wait to get home to ride her "bi-lingual" horse "Sheik" at 6:30 every morning "This is Costa Rica's rainy season so we do everything in the morning" … Mexican Ambassador Carlos de Icaza and his wife Luisa sampled Vail, Boston and Cape Cod while Guatemalan Ambassador Jose Guillermo Castillo, a talented amateur photographer, went west to capture America's wide open spaces … Afghan Ambassador Said Jawad vows, "Jet skiing is my new favorite sport," after a Lake Tahoe family vacation with 22 relatives. According to wife Shamim, "This was incredible since my husband and his Blackberry are inseparable, he's never on vacation."

Dramatic Departure Andrés and Nohra Pastrana's sudden departure from Embassy Row shocked their diplomatic colleagues and friends. The popular Columbian ambassador and former president resigned in early July when Colombian President Alvaro Uribe appointed Pastrana's arch rival Ernesto Samper as ambassador to France. Pastrana considered Samper's appointment especially embarrassing when America is giving Colombia $4 billion to fight drug trafficking. Investigated but never convicted, Samper has been accused of accepting more than $5 million in campaign contributions from drug cartels and is currently barred from U.S. shores. Pastrana's replacement is foreign minister, Carolina Barco, whose mother is American, and whose father Virgilio Barcow was another former Colombian president.

French Ambassador Jean David Levitte cheers on his team	King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Dust Off Your Tiaras! Although the new, long-awaited House of Sweden was supposed to be "flood-proof," June's record-breaking downpours sent waters from swollen Rock Creek and even D.C. sewers through the lowest levels of the new Swedish Embassy. "It was an unpleasant surprise," said Swedish Ambassador Gunnar Lund, who had just received the key, but hadn't moved in. Hazmat teams cleared the property, specially designed Swedish interiors were re-ordered and staff scrambled in preparation for the October opening with Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

Embassy Row Do You Know? Ambassadors are not always what they (are born to) eat. Swedish Ambassador Gunnar Lund's favorite cuisine is not smoked salmon and Wasa bread but healthy Mediterranean. Greek Ambassador Alexandros P. Mallias' favorite meal is a casual cook-out around the pool. Marie- Cécile Levitte, wife of the French Ambassador, fits into Chanel like a glove but loves a hot donut from Dupont Circle's Krispy Kreme during her winter walks.