DHAKA: French president Francois Hollande landed in Israel on Sunday for a visit set to be dominated by the issue of world talks with Iran on its disputed nuclear programme.

The visit, Hollande’s first since he became president in 2012, will also see him travelling to the Palestinian territories to discuss Middle East peace talks which have been limping along for three months with little signs of progress.

Hollande, who is flatlining in opinion polls at home, will also use his three-day visit to try to boost trade with the Jewish state, which stood at 2.3 billion euros in 2011.

Descending from the plane at Ben Gurion Airport, he was welcomed on the red carpet by his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he will hold talks later in the day, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1912 HRS, NOV 17, 2013
RoR/SRS