Riyadh - French President Nicolas Sarkozy was expected to touch down in Saudi Arabia later Tuesday for an overnight visit to the kingdom.

Saudi media said the top item on the agenda of a meeting with King Abdullah would be the stalled Middle East peace process.

During the French leader's stay in the kingdom, his foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, was expected to arrive in Israel and also visit the Palestinian territories in what is said to be an effort to bring the sides back to the negotiating table.

Sarkozy recently hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Paris, and also spoke by phone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The French president is pushing for a renewal of peace talks and has expressed concern over the reigning deadlock.

An Israeli newspaper reported this week that Sarkozy was aiming to bring the various parties together for a peace summit in Paris. (dpa)