Sisi, French president, defense minister to meet Monday for bilateral talks

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will meet Monday his French counterpart Francois Hollande and French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian for bilateral talks in Paris according to Egyptian presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef.

Al-Sisi, who is heading a committee representing African nations taking part in formulating a universal and legally binding UN agreement on climate change, met on Sunday with representatives from Dassault Aviation, which build Rafale fighters, and the Mistral company specialised in manufacturing aircraft carriers.

Egypt earlier this year signed a deal with France to buy two Mistral warships and has received Rafale fighter jets.

Al-Sisi held a number of talks on Sunday, including with Iraqi President Fuad Masum.

In a meeting with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, al-Sisi praised the efforts exerted by the organisation to bolster security measures of museums and archaeological sites.

The Egyptian leader also lauded UNESCO’s restoration work of archaeological sites that have been damaged by militant attacks.

Militancy in Egypt saw a surge in 2013 following the ousting of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi.

source: Ahram online