PARIS (AFP-EJP)---Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks Wednesday in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy focusing on Iran and the crisis in the Middle East peace process.
Neither leader spoke to reporters after the two hour meeting at the Elysee Palace, and Netanayahu set off for the airport immediately.
A joint communiqué issued by the Elysee Palace after the meeting said Sarkozy and Netanyahu discussed "means to relaunch without delay the peace process in the Middle East."
"The President of the Republic and the Israeli Prime Minister have agreed to deploy all efforts to reach this goal and to stay in close contact on this issue," the communiqué said.
It added that the Iranian nuclear dossier was also discussed "in the light of the latest developments."
"The Head of State and the Prime Minister French also expressed their satisfaction concerning the excellent bilateral relation between France and Israel and the development of the cooperation between the two countries."
Earlier, experts said that while Israeli leader might get a sympathetic ear for his calls for tougher sanctions against Iran's nuclear programme, he would also face criticism over settlement building in the West Bank.
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 talks and the peace process to restart."
Kouchner, who is due to visit Israel and the Palestinian territory next week, is worried that Israelis have given up hope of a negotiated peace.
"It seems to me, and I hope I'm wrong, that this aspiration has disappeared. It's as if no one believes in it any more," he said.
President Sarkozy has called Abbas on Tuesday to urge him to reconsider a decision not to seek re-election next year, and was expected to pressure Netanyahu during his
meeting Wednesday to halt settlement building.
The Israeli leader arrived in Paris late Tuesday after flying in from Washington, where he had held discussions with US President Barack Obama, who has also called for a construction freeze.
Netanyahu insists he has limited settlement activity and has called for immediate peace talks with the Palestinians, but his Washington trip ended without the usual friendly joint appearance with the US leader.
The lack of a press conference was widely interpreted as a snub by Obama.
"We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements," senior US State Department official William Burns said Tuesday. "It obviously falls short of ... a full settlement freeze."
Netanyahu arrived at the Elysee Palace at around 5.30pm and went straight into talks with Sarkozy. Earlier he had held talks with Finance Minister Christine Lagarde.
"The prime minister presented his ideas on the need for the international community to find technological alternatives to petroleum and how to use energy to create more water," a senior Israeli official said afterwards.
Netanyahu has in recent weeks often spoken of the need to diversify energy sources for both environmental and political reasons, alleging that some major oil exporters are also major sponsors of terrorism.
France shares Israel's belief that Tehran is attempting to build a nuclear weapon and Sarkozy has been one of the loudest voices calling for sanctions on the international stage
This week, Sarkozy will also meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, due in Paris on Friday, amid attempts to restart stalled telephone peace talks under Turkish auspices between Israel and its arch foe Syria. T