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France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni with President Shimon Peres in Paris on Tuesday. (Reuters) Last update - 06:38 12/03/2008 At state dinner with Sarkozy, Peres sees 'unparalleled' French-Israel relationship By Adar Primor, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Shimon Peres, Nicolas Sarkozy  PARIS - Who was not present at the festive dinner French President Nicolas Sarkozy gave for President Shimon Peres? Some thought that Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, stole the show when she displayed her "pregnant belly." But Peres, being Peres, did not pass up the opportunity to give a historic perspective to his visit. In his keynote speech, which he worked on for weeks, Peres cited Rashi, the medieval French Jewish commentator on the Bible who "rescued hundreds of ancient French words from oblivion"; Napoleon, who declared in Jaffa that the time had come for the Jewish people to take its place among the nations; and Chateaubriand, who described the Jews as a tiny nation that had miraculously escaped assimilation and finally been resurrected in its ancient homeland. And also Leon Blum, Andre Malraux, Francois Mitterand and even Jacques Chirac, the first French president to publicly acknowledge France's responsibility for the crimes of the Vichy regime. Of course, Peres himself was also not absent from the speech. He apologized to his listeners for his frequent use of the word "I," saying it stemmed from the fact that he is one of the few people left who still can tell the "great story" of Israel's birth from personal experience. He described how, a year before the War of Independence, David Ben-Gurion showed him the list of weapons in Israel's possession: "Not a single plane. Not a single piece of artillery that actually fired. Not a single tank that rolled properly." Advertisement Then, following the establishment of the state, he recalled the massive flow of Soviet arms to Arab states, Israel's vain appeals for help to the United States and Britain and, finally, the salvation that came from France. "I will never forget my first steps on French soil," Peres said. "It's hard to describe the warmth, the solidarity and the support, a la francaise, that I received in every corner of this land." But though his speech dwelt at length on the past, he also devoted a few sentences to the present - and, as befits a visionary, a fair amount of time to the future. Earlier, in a conversation with Haaretz, Peres said the friendship between Israel and France "had no parallel" in human history. He said he did not see his visit as the "closing of a circle," but as a chance to say thank you for the past, and to open a new chapter of cooperation in facing the challenges of the present and future - first and foremost, Iran's nuclear program and terrorism. Asked whether his comment on the eve of his visit, that Israel would not act alone against the Iranian threat, had been coordinated with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, he replied: "If we act alone, we'll remain alone. [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad is the whole world's problem; it should not be reduced to Israel's [problem]. There is no issue here of coordinating statements, but of coordinating policy." Regarding Sarkozy's plan for a "Mediterranean Union," which has been criticized as a hasty initiative unveiled without first consulting his colleagues in the European Union, Peres said: "The idea that the European Union should serve as a model for the Mediterranean region is daring and interesting. Following 1,000 years of war and bloodshed, an economic merger came along that succeeded in overcoming Europe's political wounds. Sarkozy is a groundbreaking leader. He operates like a whirlwind: He doesn't dally, he leaps. The fact that he is unpopular should not affect his mode of behavior, because if leaders acted according to the polls, they would all have to be conservative and do nothing." He added that he is convinced Sarkozy will overcome opposition to his plan within the EU. Despite his courageous display of friendship during your visit, Sarkozy and his Foreign Ministry have not hid their unhappiness over the operation in Gaza and Israel's "destructive settlement policy." "The events in Gaza and Jerusalem [Palestinian terror attacks] do not grant Israel any breaks on the settlements. But in any case, [Israel's] policy is that no new settlements will be built. Ultimately, the French policy on this matter is based on the principles laid down by the Quartet, which Israel also signed." Related articles: Sarkozy to Peres: France will always be at Israel's side In show of love for Israel, Sarkozy makes Peres his first official visitor ANALYSIS: Sarkozy's Holocaust education plan baffles Jews Sarkozy defends Holocaust education proposal amid uproar Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bring the house down Dichter to police: Demolish home of J'lem yeshiva terrorist. Media frenzy Israel to boycott Al-Jazeera TV, claiming incitement to terror.   1.   FROM PARIS WITH LOVE 07:18  |  indrajaya 12/03/08   2.   Maybe he is looking for a job in Israeli politics. 07:50  |  Maureen Ann 12/03/08   3.   ARMS FROM CHEKOSLOVAKIA 08:19  |  PARIS 12/03/08   4.   President Peres never stop being Romantic 08:20  |  pal 12/03/08   5.   Sarkozy is Jewish, (Persky) Peres is Polish 09:00  |  josif 12/03/08   6.   murineanne 09:21  |  danny 12/03/08   7.   Sarkozy is the French albatross 09:35  |  Clickfool 12/03/08   8.   Sarko`s ratings on new upswing 09:40  |  American in Paris 12/03/08   9.   For American in Paris # 8 10:13  |  Clickfool 12/03/08   10.   Vive la France 10:22  |  Sheikh Rattle & Roll 12/03/08   11.   If Israel derives comfort from Sarkozy, good for them 10:32  |  Natallie Durson 12/03/08   12.   I HARDLY UNDERSTAND PEOPLE OF FRANCE 10:42  |  indrajaya 12/03/08   13.   Europe - Israels best friend in the world...... 10:48  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/03/08   14.   Indra+Clik must submit a list of EU leaders they like B4 election 11:51  |  Alan 12/03/08   15.   "If leaders acted... 13:29  |  Buzaglow 12/03/08   16.   President Spluttermuck 13:33  |  Mrs W 12/03/08   17.   Hyperbole Is Hyperbole and Policy Is Policy 13:39  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/03/08   18.   same old story... 14:02  |  jouflu 12/03/08   19.   Sarko`s approval rating 14:09  |  jouflu 12/03/08   20.   France, nicer words, same hate proof read on 14:41  |  Steven 12/03/08   21.   You`re right, Steven # 20 15:45  |  Clickfool 12/03/08   22.   Clickfool what do you know about France? 22:27  |  American in Paris 12/03/08

Today Online Hamas: No truce until Israel ends Gaza siege Responses: 155 Australian parliament lauds Israel as 'custodian of freedom' Responses: 113 Qureia to Livni: PA 'shocked' at plan to expand settlement Responses: 114 Israel to boycott Al-Jazeera TV, claiming incitement to terror Responses: 82 Pro-Palestinian graffiti found inside El Al plane in Italy Responses: 53 Haaretz TV: Israel-born child faces expulsion Responses: 24 Rosner's Domain What General Fallon didn't get (WTR) Israeli leadership: A mixture of paranoia and luck Poll: Cease-fire with Hamas, a good idea? How Qassams changed the conflict (WTR) Study: Boston's intermarried 'as observant' as Reform Jews More Headlines 21:21 IDF kills 5 Palestinian militants in two West Bank incidents 20:44 Defense Min.: Fighting in southern Israel, Gaza may soon resume 18:58 New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns amid sex scandal 17:19 Dichter to police: Demolish home of Jerusalem yeshiva terrorist 21:27 Schindler Jews to mark 65 years since Krakow ghetto liquidation 16:59 Smuggler buried alive when tunnel collapses near Egypt-Gaza border 20:55 Livni warns 'clock is ticking' on sanctions against Iran 18:57 Rightist rabbis urge 'measure for measure' revenge on foes 19:29 Brothers sentenced to life in jail for 'honor killing' of sister 20:24 Shas slams IDF plan to decrease Haredi exemption from army 18:34 Rubinstein Piano Competition / A truly impressive artist 16:30 After 30 years, musician Joe Jackson realizes dream of playing in Israel Previous Editions Select Day 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar 29 feb 28 feb 27 feb

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