PRESIDENT Jacques Chirac used the symbol of the sun chasing away the rain to describe the warmth of Franco Irish relations on the first day of President Robinson's visit yesterday.
Mrs Robinson is in Paris for two days to participate in events organised by L'Imaginaire Irlandais, the six month Irish cultural festival taking place throughout France.
Tomorrow she travels to Rennes to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Rennes II.
Yesterday afternoon she paid a courtesy visit on President Chirac at the Elysee palace. The meeting was scheduled to last 30 minutes, but lasted nearly an hour. Afterwards, in a remarkable departure from French protocol, both presidents came outside to speak to journalists.
Mr Chirac, speaking in English, said: "Just before the President arrived it was raining. When the door opened and she went in, the sun came out and the sun is still shining. That is a sign of the harmony of our relations."
Mrs Robinson, speaking in English and French, said she was "very happy to return to France for the special occasion of celebrating L'Imaginaire Irlandais".
She recalled that when she had last visited France in 1992, she had noticed that "perhaps French people didn't fully know contemporary modern Ireland", so it was a great pleasure" to be attending a festival which showed that aspect of Ireland.
During their private meeting President Robinson, who was accompanied by the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins, stressed that she wanted the French to become familiar with the "cultural renaissance" which had taken place in Ireland in recent years.
President Chirac, noting that he had visited Ireland about 10 times, mostly as a youth hosteller, said Ireland had found its own identity in the European Union, an identity which had not been diluted in any way and which respected by all other members.
President Robinson also mentioned the importance of the present timetable of events leading to the opening of political talks next month in Northern Ireland. She stressed that people in the North were determined not to go back to violence.
President Chirac said France and Europe would play as supportive a role as they could in this process.
From the Elysee, President Robinson went to the huge Centre Georges Pompidou arts complex, where she inaugurated the exhibition of the internationally known Clare based artist James Coleman. She also had an unscheduled meeting with Mrs Pompidou, the widow of the late president. She also met members of the Paris Irish community at the Irish College.
Last night she addressed the dinner of the Franco Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at which her theme was once again the international impact, both culturally and economically, of a modern, dynamic and creative contemporary Irish society.