Israel's Netanyahu in France for talks with Sarkozy

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Paris on Wednesday for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Iran and the crisis in the Middle East peace process.

The Israeli leader can expect a sympathetic ear for his calls for tougher economic sanctions on Tehran, but faces stern criticism for his support for Jewish settlement building on Palestinian land.

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 as if no one believes in it any more," he said.

French fears for the peace process have been exacerbated by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' threat to resign in protest at Israel's refusal to stop building on Palestinian land in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Abbas is seen by many observers as the only Palestinian leader with the power and credibility to lead meaningful negotiations, and his departure could even signal the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.

Sarkozy 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 similarly tense 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 was to meet Sarkozy at 5.30pm (1630 GMT) Wednesday at the Elysee Palace, after earlier holding talks with Finance Minister Christine Lagarde on plans for tighter sanctions against Iran's nuclear programme.

France shares Israel's belief that Tehran is attempting to build a nuclear weapon -- Iran denies this -- and Sarkozy has been one of the loudest voices calling for sanctions on the international stage.

Sarkozy will also this week 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.

The Turkish foreign minister who used to oversee the conference calls, Ahmet Davutoglu, was also in Paris last week and said he was ready to resume these private negotiations if the two parties asked him to.