French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Saudi Arabia Tuesday for talks with King Abdullah that are expected to focus on Mideast peace efforts.
King Abdullah greeted Mr. Sarkozy at the airport, and the two men then headed to the king's farm outside Riyadh. The trip is being billed as a largely personal visit.
The French president and Saudi ruler are expected to discuss a possible Saudi purchase of French-made military equipment, as well as a civilian nuclear agreement. But the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations are expected to top the agenda.
Mr. Sarkozy met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris last week to discuss ways to revive Mideast peace talks.
King Abdullah offered an Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal back in 2002. The plan calls for full normalization of ties with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from all land captured in the 1967 Mideast War.
King Abdullah and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the Saudi initiative when they met in April. White House officials said Mr. Obama reiterated his support for that initiative on Arab-Israeli peace.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.