French President Jacques Chirac said Monday that his talks with Saudi officials were held in "an atmosphere of understanding and friendship." Addressing a press conference in Riyadh earlier today, Chirac reiterated his country's keenness on enhancing cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the economic field, and lauded the healthy investment atmosphere prevailing in the Kingdom notably after its admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO). "My country had supported the admission of Saudi Arabia to the WTO," he said. Chirac hailed the existing military cooperation between the Kingdom and France, and said this cooperation will be enhanced further, in future. As regards the cultural cooperation between the Kingdom and his country, Chirac said France will organize next year a show on the Saudi arts. On the other hand, Chirac said his talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul-aziz had covered a number of topics including issues pertaining to Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. --MORE 14 45 Local Time 11 45 GMT
