Ramallah, Jumada Al-Awwal 16, 1432, April 20, 2011, SPA -- Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas heads to Paris on Wednesday to seek advice and support from European leaders on the potential creation of a Palestinian state this year. In an interview with AFP last week, Abbas said he would be asking his French counterpart President Nicolas Sarkozy "for his advice" on the best approach to seeking recognition for an independent Palestinian state. "We are friends, so he can be sincere with us and to talk to us openly," Abbas said of the French leader, who he is expected to meet on Thursday. --SPA 12:21 LOCAL TIME 09:21 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/885328