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The official part of President Putin’s visit to France began with a welcoming ceremony at the Elysee Palace.

The top-level Russian-French negotiations were held in two rounds – one restricted and one expanded and attended by delegations of the two countries.

The Presidents discussed Russia’s relations with the EU and NATO, international counter-terrorist cooperation and the situation around Iraq, on the Korean peninsula, and in the Middle East. They expressed support for a global approach to the issue of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

They also discussed the entire spectrum of relations between the two countries, including economic, cultural, scientific-technological and military- technical cooperation.

At a news conference following the negotiations, President Putin said that Russia and France were insisting on a political and diplomatic solution to the Iraqi crisis. Russia and France, he said, shared an “aligned and moral position” aimed at finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq but in a way not harmful to the population and not violating international law.

Mr Putin said that the use of force against that country could lead to an unpredictable escalation of tensions, and that all steps in relation to Iraq must be based on UN Security Council resolutions. Resolution 1441 provides for the use of various means, and Russia is ready to supply aviation for inspections, he said.

President Putin warned against over-dramatising the fact that European countries showed different approaches to the Iraqi problem. The position of Russia and France, he said, was shared by the overwhelming majority of UN Security Council members.

During the visit, a joint statement on strategic issues, a statement on energy cooperation and a series of inter-governmental and business agreements were signed.