Foreign Minister Livni expected to visit Paris

The French president's office said Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will meet with Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris in early January as the French president seeks ways to end the crisis between Israel and Hamas. A statement said Sarkozy and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were discussing the crisis and will continue their telephone conversations in the days ahead. The statement issued Monday did not specify the date of Livni's Paris visit beyond saying that Sarkozy and Livni would meet in the French capital at the beginning of January. The announcement came on the third day of an Israeli assault on Gaza where the Palestinian Hamas organization rules. At least 315 people have been killed.