Paris, 5 February 1997 (RFE/RL) - Romania's President Emil Constantinescu holds talks in Paris today with President Jacques Chirac. Constantinescu arrived in Paris today from Brussels, where he met top European Union and NATO officials. His Western European tour began last weekend with an appearance at the Davos Forum in Switzerland.
Our Bucharest correspondent reports the tour is meant to speed Romania's efforts to catch up with other Eastern European countries competing for NATO membership. And, he cites Romanian media reports, which quote Western leaders and commentators as saying Romania seems to have improved substantially its position since last year's elections.
France is viewed as Romania's strongest supporter for integration into the EU and NATO. President Chirac will visit Bucharest this month.