Israel's Netanyahu in France for talks with Sarkozy

0 Comments | AFP, November, 2009

PARIS (AFP) — Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Paris on Wednesday for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Iran and the crisis in the Middle East peace process.

The Israeli leader can expect a sympathetic ear for his calls for tougher economic sanctions on Tehran, but faces stern criticism for his support for Jewish settlement building on Palestinian land.

On the eve of the visit, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said a "real political difference" separates Sarkozy and Netanyahu on the issue, and renewed calls for an immediate freeze on construction.

"We think that a freeze on settlements, that's to say no more colonisation while talks are ongoing, would be absolutely indispensable," Kouchner told France Inter radio. "We need...