French President Jacques Chirac is to receive Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday July 27, the French presidency announced Monday.

Chirac has invited Sharon in mid-June to rapidly come to Paris to discuss the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip scheduled for mid-August and consolidate the French-Israeli partnership.

The visit on July 27, confirmed earlier at the end of June by an Israeli official, was considered many times but had not been formalized from the French part because of tension between France and Israel.

Some 20 organizations, including the Movement against the racism and for friendship between peoples, the Association France- Palestine-Solidarity, the Green party and the French Communist Party, have called for demonstration during Sharon's visit to France against his policy towards the Palestinians.

Sharon had only one official visit to France in July 2001 as Prime Minister.

He hailed the French efforts to fight anti-Semitism during the visit of French former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin in mid- March to Israel.

In July 2004, Sharon called the Jews to leave France to regain Israel, provoking a furious controversy in France, even within the Jewish community.

He accused again last February Paris of a "pro-Arabic" policy, blaming it not to denounce the Lebanese Shiite party of Hezbollah as terrorist organization.

The Hebrew country also looked disapprovingly at France's support to past Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died in Nov. 2004 in a hospital near Paris.

Source: Xinhua