PARIS, February 02, SPA -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy was meetingMonday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and theprime minister of Qatar in an attempt to forge a lastinghalt to violence after Israel's recent offensive in theGaza Strip, Associated Press reported. President Barack Obama's new Mideast envoy, GeorgeMitchell, was meeting with Sarkozy's chief of staff andFrench Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Sarkozy took an active role in helping broker a Gazacease-fire and French diplomats have been spearheadingefforts for a longer-term peace deal. On the other hand, Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheik Hamad binJassem al-Thani, has called for Arab reconciliation. Mitchell met last week with Palestinian officialsincluding Abbas, who is on a European tour that will takehim to the EU parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday and goon to Britain, Italy, Turkey and Poland. Abbas is to meeton Tuesday with Bernard Accoyer, president of the NationalAssembly, the lower house of the French parliament,Accoyer's office said.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/631905