Palestinian President Yasser Arafat will hold talks with French leaders in Paris later Wednesday to discuss the ongoing problems in the Middle East peace talks and the potential of achieving a lasting accord with Israel, Kuwait News agency (KUNA) said.
Arafat, who is on a tour of European capitals, arrived in France Tuesday.
Reuters said Arafat was due to hold talks with President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
Arafat's top aide Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP that the Palestinian president would "discuss with Chirac the peace process and bilateral relations and will also brief him on the outcome of his meeting with US President Bill Clinton" in Washington April 20.
Abu Rudeina said Arafat wanted to put forward the Palestinian position to Chirac before France assumes the rotating presidency of the European Union in the second half of the year.
Paris has been the focal point of a flurry of high-level contacts on the difficult Middle East peace process, including visits by Israeli foreign minister David Levy and his Syrian counterpart Farouq Shara - (Agencies)
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