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Europe

French president in anti-extremism talks with Al-Azhar imam

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    France's President Francois Hollande, left, welcomes Sheik Ahmed el-Tayyib, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, prior to a meeting, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Tuesday, May 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (The Associated Press)

  • b49805ce-
    Image 2 of 3

    France's President Francois Hollande, left, welcomes Sheik Ahmed el-Tayyib, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, prior to a meeting, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Tuesday, May 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (The Associated Press)

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    Image 3 of 3

    France's President Francois Hollande, center left, welcomes Sheik Ahmed el-Tayyib, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, prior to a meeting, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Tuesday, May 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (The Associated Press)

PARIS – The French president has met with the grand imam of the prestigious Sunni Muslim center of learning Al-Azhar to share views on the fight against extremism.

The presidency said Francois Hollande detailed France's priorities on the issue and that French authorities welcomed Sheik Ahmed el-Tayyib efforts to combat radicalism.

Earlier Tuesday, the Cairo-based grand imam went to the Bataclan concert hall to pay tribute to the victims of the attacks carried out by Islamic extremists that left 130 dead on Nov. 13.

A French government plan presented this month includes the creation of de-radicalization facilities in every region by 2017.

El-Tayyib came to Paris to open a Muslim-Catholic conference on East-West relations, after a meeting with Pope Francis on Monday that reopened an important channel for inter-religious dialogue.