ISRAEL SHOCKED BY SARKOZY'S PICK FOR FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER

Israel Shocked by Sarkozy's Pick for French Foreign Minister - Yaniv Salama-Scheer and Herb Keinon
French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy has reportedly selected Socialist Hubert Vedrine as his foreign minister. Vedrine served as foreign minister under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin during 1997-2002, in a term characterized as pro-Palestinian and pro-Arab. During the height of the Palestinian violence that began in September 2000, Vedrine advocated economic sanctions against Israel within the EU. The appointment seemed to fly in the face of expectations in Jerusalem that Sarkozy's election would usher in a significantly warmer period in Israeli-French ties. (Jerusalem Post)