Rouhani does business as crowds decry executions

Mr Rouhani is now visiting several European countries to sign business deals worth billions of pounds as Iran comes back in from the diplomatic cold after years of economic sanctions.

“It’s a new chapter of our relationship”, French President Francois Hollande said in a joint news conference after a two-hour meeting with Rouhani at the Elysee Palace.

Iran had made a similar request to Italy also, which was accepted and the Italians ensured a halal menu without wine.

Iran Air signed a deal to buy 118 aircraft from Airbus, valued at $25 billion.

Speaking under anonymity, two European Union officials reportedly told the Associated Press that the request was formalized last week at the Council of Foreign Ministers of the 28, just days after the European Union and the U.S. lifted sanctions against Iran on January 16.

French energy company Total said it signed a framework agreement to purchase crude oil from Iran during the Iranian president’s trade visit to Paris.

French businesses had a foothold in Iran long before the most recent sanctions began to bite.

“It’s true that Iran has returned to the global community, but it doesn’t mean we agree on everything, especially on Syria“, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said ahead of Rouhani’s arrival.

Peugeot pulled out of Iran in 2012 due to the sanctions.

Some French companies, like Total and vehicle manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroën, traded with Iran before worldwide sanctions forced them to stop.

His visit to France is the first by an Iranian president since 1999 and comes as part of a five-day trip.

The deal was signed by Iran’s Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi and his French counterpart, Iranian state-run IRINN TV channel reported from the event venue. Jalalpour’s high-profile role in the Iranian delegation also signalled the government’s new strategy in promoting the Iranian private sector.

Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran, with headquarters outside Paris, held a demonstration, and 61 lawmakers signed an open letter to Hollande condemning Iran’s human rights record, with executions on the rise, and what it called its “strategy of chaos” in the Middle East.

The stunt was created to coincide with the passing of Rouhani’s convoy, though it remains unclear whether the Iranian president caught a glimpse of the topless woman.

“Welcome Rouhani, executioner of freedom”, read a banner on the Paris bridge from which a Femen activist was suspended in a mock noose.

Rouhani, a 67-year-old former academic and diplomat who is seen as a pragmatist, was elected on a pledge to end sanctions and improve relations with the West.

The Syrian people must be left to decide their own future, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday, adding that defeating terrorism was Syria’s main problem and not who is running the country.

French Jews protested against the arrival to Paris of Iran’s president, saying it was particularly unacceptable because it fell on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Iranian officials have said they are poised to agree on a deal for Airbus aircraft.

But with France taking a hard line in nuclear negotiations, being outspoken in its condemnation of Tehran’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and having close ties with Sunni states, the Paris visit will be more low key.