The office of French President Francois Hollande said he will meet his Iranian counterpart Sheikh Hasan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

The office of French President Francois Hollande said he will meet his Iranian counterpart Sheikh Hasan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week, in the latest move by the new Iranian leader to try to heal Tehran’s acrimonious relations with the West.

There has been speculation that Iranian President Rouhani might also meet US President Barack Obama in New York.

Announcing the meeting on Thursday night, Hollande noted that, "There is a plan to meet with the Iranian president at his request.” The French president was speaking to reporters in Malian capital of Bamako, where he was attending a ceremony to mark the swearing-in of Mali's new president, France 24 reported.

French officials said the meeting between Hollande and Sheikh Rouhani on Tuesday had been organized to focus on the crisis in Syria and on Iran's controversial nuclear program.

"What we want to see is an Iran fully engaged, like other players, in the search for a real political transition in Syria," an aide to President Hollande said.
Unlike the US, which has no diplomatic relations with Iran, France has always maintained links to Tehran.

The meeting in New York will be the first between the leaders of France and Iran since 2005.

Earlier this week, Iran released several political prisoners including noted human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and reformist politician Mohsen Aminzadeh.

President Rouhani also gave an interview to US broadcaster NBC this week in which he said he had full authority to negotiate with the West over the nuclear issue.

He also described a recent letter sent to him by President Obama as "positive and constructive".