Iranian president formally welcomed to France

On Wednesday, France rolled out red carpet to Rouhani, in a bid to open a new chapter on bilateral ties and seal worthy investment deals.

Hassan Rouhani was due to dine at the Elysée Palace with president Hollande during a trade mission to France, but ducked out.

And mealtimes were discreet for a man whose country bans alcohol as he visited a land that venerates wine. The leader came to the French capital to sign off on a business deal between the two countries.

Iranian officials have said they are poised to agree on a deal for Airbus aircraft.

Among other deals flagged on Thursday were one involving French national railway operator SNCF and another for aluminum company Fives. President Obama has secured what he believes will be his foreign policy legacy; however, it is French President Francois Hollande who takes home the biggest slice of the Iran post-sanctions cake.

Canada will join the United States, the United Kingdom and others in easing restrictions on business and trade with Iran.

The meeting is scheduled to last for about two hours. That highlights continued suspicions between Iran and the West. He pointed out that Europe is complaining about the number of refugees arriving on its territory while Iran is hosting 3 million Afghans “without complaining”. “We say “no” to Rouhani”, CRIF also wrote. Iran is pushing to boost oil exports now that global sanctions against it have been lifted.

France is trying “to ease tensions by speaking to everyone, which is our vocation”, said a ranking French diplomat ahead of Rouhani’s arrival.

“We plan to sign a contract which will allow us to take between 150,000 and 200,000 barrels of crude a day”, Patrick Pouyanne said.

“Everyone understood that the nuclear negotiations represented a win-win situation for both sides”.

Paris reportedly wishes to draw Tehran into a role as peacemaker in a Middle East, where Iran has actively supported Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as in Yemen.

An activist hung from a fake noose off a Paris bridge next to a huge banner reading “Welcome Rouhani, Executioner of Freedom“.

Iran’s human rights record, including hundreds of executions, adds another note of caution for France which presses for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide. The officials, who were briefed by people who attended the meeting, spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

It was the first trip to either country by an Iranian leader since 1999.

Valls said the countries should forget past rancor.

“The Iranian market offers Italian and European investors the opportunity to establish themselves in the entire region”, he said.

It will be a 50-50 joint venture, aiming to produce three new models of cars starting late next year.

So far Iran has announced a purchase of more than 100 planes from Airbus, and a major auto deal with Peugeot.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is being formally welcomed to France at the gold-domed Invalides monument where Napoleon is buried.

Hollande stressed the need to rigourously apply the nuclear accord.

It is the second leg of a trip signalling Tehran’s rapprochement with Europe following the lifting of the punishing sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme.