Visiting Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced Wednesday that he had invited French President Jacques Chirac to visit Israel.

"I have invited President Jacques Chirac to Israel. He was glad of this invitation," Sharon told reporters after meeting with Chirac in the French presidential palace of Elysee.

Sharon said he had invited the French president to his Negev ranch in southern Israel, but Chirac has not given his answer immediately.

Sharon started his three-day visit to Paris since Tuesday evening in order to open a new page in French-Israeli ties after years of tension. His latest meeting Chirac was in July 2001.

Source: Xinhua