**French President Nicholas Sarkozy will arrive in Riyadh later on Tuesday for a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia.**Mr Sarkozy will spend the night at King Abdullah’s desert ranch before attending bilateral talks on Wednesday.
Officials say the trip is aimed at strengthening ties between the two men, but they are also set to discuss French bids for major Saudi arms contracts.
Before leaving, Mr Sarkozy called for the urgent resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
During the past eight days, he has held meetings at the Elysee Palace in Paris with the leaders of Iraq, Israel and Syria.
He has also spoken by telephone with the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, who will attend talks with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner later in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
‘Personal nature’
A Saudi government adviser told the AFP news agency the visit would be “personal in nature” and that its purpose would be to “invigorate ties” and “widen the scope of relations” between the two countries.
“Sometimes in these moments of great tensions solutions arise, because they give the actors the courage and strength to move forward. It is for us to help them”
French President Nicholas Sarkozy
No announcements are expected from either side during the visit, by the two leaders are expected to discuss French efforts to sell Saudi Arabia military helicopters, naval frigates and high-speed trains.
An agreement on peaceful nuclear co-operation is also on the agenda, as well as Iran’s nuclear programme and the Middle East peace process.
Riyadh was hoping Mr Sarkozy could help get peace talks going after a “disappointing” effort by Washington, the Saudi adviser said.
In an interview with the Saudi newspaper al-Riyadh, the French leader said it was a priority to restart talks as soon as possible.
“It is urgent because the current deadlock plays into the hands of extremists and each day the chance of peace is slipping away a little,” he said.
Mr Sarkozy said he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt settlement construction and Mr Abbas to remain “committed” to holding presidential and legislative elections in 2010.
“Sometimes in these moments of great tensions solutions arise, because they give the actors the courage and strength to move forward. It is for us to help them,” he added.
This will be the third trip to Saudi Arabia in two years for Mr Sarkozy, who in recent years has put less emphasis on building relations with France’s allies in Africa and more on Gulf and Indian Ocean states.
In 2007, shortly after taking office, he declared that in addition to being sources of oil and potential markets for French technology, the two areas were key to France’s security and that of the world.
France opened its first military facilities in the Gulf at Abu Dhabi two years later, including a dedicated quay at Zayed Port, an air force installation at the Dhafra Air Base, and a barracks a military camp.