Jordan's king to visit France this week, premier says

Aug 25, 2008, 11:41 GMT

Amman- Jordan's King Abdullah II will visit Paris later this week for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the latest Middle East developments, Prime Minister Nader Dahabi said Monday.

'Jordan looks with special interest and appreciation to France's effective role in reactivating the peace negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,' Dahabi told a delegation representing the Jordanian-French Parliamentary Friendship Society.

He underscored the importance of the Euro-Med Union conference, which was held in Paris last month under Sarkozy's auspices, and said Jordan 'looked forward to using this event as a forum for boosting its ties with Euro-Med countries.'

Dahabi said that Jordan and France planned to sign a nuclear cooperation agreement, under which the Hashemite Kingdom would buy a nuclear reactor from France and receive enriched uranium for generating electricity.

Abdullah is currently in Moscow for talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Middle East developments and boosting bilateral ties.