Sharon going to Paris
צילום: איי פי
Sharon to meet Chirac on eve of pullout
Prime minister to discuss disengagement with French president; sources in Jerusalem say France wants to boost its standing in international arena
TEL AVIV - Bon Voyage: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is planning to travel to France next month and meet with French President Jacques Chirac on July 27, two weeks before the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank pullout.
The meeting has been on the agenda for a long time, but the date was finalized only on Wednesday.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the pullout and the “Day After.” On several occasions in the past, Chirac has said it is important to ensure the withdrawal is only the beginning of the process and not its end.
Notably, the two figures met last in July 2001, amid French-Israeli tensions over Israeli-Palestinian violence.
‘No Saddam, no Rafik, no Arafat’
Meanwhile, political sources said that although Sharon already obtained the international seal of approval for the pullout’s implementation, meeting Chirac provides a good photo opportunity and a handshake with another international leader.
“Easing tensions with France is important, certainly on the eve of the disengagement,” one official said. “This may be an opportunity to examine the (international) assistance to stabilizing the situation in the territories the day after the pullout. This is not a marriage that of love, but rather, of wisdom.”
Sources in Jerusalem also noted French policy in the Middle East was premised on permanent allies such as late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
“Today, France finds itself without its assets. There’s no Saddam, no Rafik, and no Arafat,” one source said. “There’s no doubt the meeting is also a result of the French need to show a relevant presence in the international arena.”
