Abbas starts an official 2-day visit to France

President Mahmoud Abbas started Thursday an official two-day visit to France during which he will meet his French counterpart the recently elected Francois Hollande on Friday. Abbas will also meet with the French prime minister and foreign minister on Thursday. “This visit, which is the first by a Palestinian leader since the start of (Hollande’s) five-year term of office, will provide an opportunity for France to affirm its commitment to just and lasting peace in the Middle East, requiring the establishment of a viable and sovereign Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security with Israel,” said a French foreign ministry spokesman. “These meetings will also provide an opportunity to review the political and economic situation of the Palestinian Territories as well as our bilateral relations, which are marked by France’s strong support for the establishment of the institutions of the future Palestinian State,” he added. Abbas arrived in France Wednesday night coming from Turkey where he attended a World Economic Forum meeting.