Washington to talk Gaza's future

The visits are part of a five-nation tour by the Palestinian leader, which kicked off over the weekend when Abbas visited Jordan and Egypt. He will also travel to Spain before heading to Washington midweek.

His sorties in Europe and the United States will be the first time Abbas has left the Middle East region since the last Israeli soldiers left the Gaza Strip on September 12 -- a move which the international community hopes will revitalise the ailing peace process.

It will also be Abbas's first visit to France since being elected as head of the Palestinian Authority in January, and the first time he has returned to Paris since November 2004, when he kept vigil at the deathbed of his predecessor Yasser Arafat. During the Paris talks, Abbas will ask that France "continue to play a positive and effective role within the European Union in support of the Palestinian cause and peace process aimed at reaching a true settlement" of the conflict, Palestinian foreign minister Nasser al-Qidwa told AFP.

"Our relations with Europe, and particularly with France, are very important and we are always trying to strengthen them," added Qidwa, who will accompany the Palestinian leader on his tour.

Abbas is due to hold talks with French President Jacques Chirac on Monday and Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy on Tuesday.

Although France is a traditional ally of the Palestinians, Abbas will also raise Palestinian concerns about the involvement of two French firms in a tramway project which will pass through two settlements in occupied east Jerusalem, the minister said.

Qidwa admitted he was "deeply worried" by the involvement of Alstom and Connex, the transport arm of the French conglomerate Veolia, in the tramway project which he said contravened international law.

On Tuesday, Abbas will hold talks in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, before arriving in Washington Wednesday ahead of his second meeting with US President George W. Bush since being elected Palestinian leader.