Qatari Emir starts official visit to France

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifa al-Thani on Tuesday attended a banquet given by French Premier Lionel Jospin marking the beginning of a two-day official visit to France. Sheikh Hamad held talks in the evening with French President Jacques Chirac.

The two leaders discussed the Egyptian-French initiative to revive the Middle East peace process. Today, Sheikh Hamad delivered a speech at the French Institute for International Relations in Paris and meet with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine.