French President Nicholas Sarkozy on Tuesday asked Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas to reconsider his decision to step down from his post. Abbas said last week that he was planning to quit because the U.S. was not pressuring Israel enough to halt construction in Judea and Samaria, which he has demanded as a precondition for any talks with Israel.

Sarkozy, who spoke to Abbas on the phone, urged him to "continue serving th Palestinian people in their quest for peace."