French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing has proposed a massive conference on cooperation between western Europe, Africa and Arab nations. He told a news conference in Paris on Thursday (15 February) that he hoped to visit Sudan to discuss the plan with President Jaafar Nimeiri. France is chairman of the European Common Market Commission for the first half of this year while Sudan presides over the Organisation of African Unity.

SYNOPSIS: President Giscard met reporters at the Elysee Place, where he began by discussing the peace talks between Egypt and Israel. He said he doubted that the talks would produce a peace treaty.

The French President suggested that the United Nations Security Council should take up the problem if negotiations failed to result in an overall settlement. He said France would be very happy if new meetings following up the Camp David negotiations produced agreement -- but this was unlikely.

Monsieur Giscard d'Estaing stressed that an agreement would have to be acceptable to all countries in the region. It would also have to be approved by the international community and tackle the overall problems -- notably the situation of the Palestinians and how they should exercise their rights.

Israel and Egypt are to hold new talks at Camp David in a further effort to complete a peace treaty.

Turning to Africa, President Giscard said an international conference involving European, African and Arab countries was needed to provide a new framework for relations between the nations involved.

A key point of the President's foreign policy has been to develop relations with Africa.