President Jacques Chirac has invited Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to visit France this summer. The invitation, the first from Chirac to Sharon since the Israeli leader took office in 2001, was released Wednesday by the presidential Elysee Palace and was dated June 7. Chirac praised Sharon's "determined and courageous decision" to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. "More than ever, France and its European partners want to be at your side so that this withdrawal sparks a positive dynamic and that Israel and its neighbors can benefit at last from the peace and stability to which all aspire," Chirac wrote.