Israël s'apprête à dérouler le tapis rouge à François Hollande

[ucrdem]

1. Today's Haaretz:

French President Francois Hollande lands in Israel Sunday afternoon for his first official visit as president, after receiving accolades from Israeli officials for apparently blocking an agreement with Iran that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had termed “a bad deal.”

A warm welcome is expected for the French leader, who will push home his advantage on Iran by “strongly reiterating” that “Iran’s military nuclear program must stop,” according to French sources.

The three days of talks are expected to focus on Iran and increasing economic cooperation between France and Israel. Hollande is expected to visit Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and travel to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Hollande will urge both the Palestinians and Israelis to make compromises for peace, sources in the French presidency said.

In an interview published Saturday, Netanyahu told French daily Le Figaro that Israel “salutes Hollande’s firm stance on the Iranian issue,” adding, “We hope France doesn’t give in.”

But it is contracts rather than compliments that are most matter to Hollande these days, as he struggles to right his country’s financial difficulties. Faced with a collapse in exports and record unemployment, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced a new “economic diplomacy” push in August 2012. Diplomats, he said, would be required to have a focus on business.

more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.558334