Riyadh  - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Riyadh Sunday for talks on key regional issues.

He and Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal were to discuss issues including Gaza, Palestinian reconciliation and Lebanon ahead of the parliamentary election there on June 7.

Other subjects would be the Iran nuclear issue and developments in Afghanistan and Sudan, informed sources said.

Kouchner was also expected to discuss bilateral relations, with special emphasis on education. His two-day visit will also tackle the financial crisis ahead of next month's G20 summit in London.

Kouchner was also due to meet Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, intelligence chief Muqrin bin Abdul-Aziz, and Minister of Trade and Industry Abdullah bin Ahmed Zin Ali Reda.

The visit follows an Arab quartet summit in which Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Syria agreed on a unified stance aiming at pushing their interests forward. dpa