France 24 – Iran’s President Hassan Rohani has apparently objected to dining at the Elysée presidential palace during his upcoming visit to Paris, if wine is served during the meal, French media have reported.
Rohani is visiting Paris as part of a four-day tour of Italy and France beginning November 14 making him the first Iranian president to travel to Europe in a decade, according to the state news agency IRNA.
The tour – which comes four months after the Iran nuclear deal was reached – will first take Rohani to Italy, where he will meet President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis, Iranian presidential spokesman Parviz Esmaili told IRNA.
He will then travel to France on November 16-17, where he is expected to give a speech at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris.
“He will officially be received by French President François Hollande on Tuesday morning and will hold talks with French government officials before returning to Tehran,” Esmaili said.
