French President Jacques Chirac and former Israeli premier Shimon Peres held talks in Paris Monday, and expressed the hope that US sponsored peace talks this week would lead to a truce between Israel and the Palestinians.
"We don't have much time left," Peres said in a reference to the approaching end of US President Bill Clinton's term in office. "This is pushing us to make a serious effort to save the situation."
Chirac, for his part, called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to end the bloodletting and pursue peace efforts. "France will not resign itself to a stop in the peace process," Chirac's spokeswoman said.
Peres arrived in Paris at the weekend to attend the inauguration of a Paris garden dedicated to the late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
He later had talks with Prime Minister Lionel Jospin - PARIS (AFP)
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