British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrived Friday afternoon in a Paris hotel housing the temporary office of French president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy.

Blair and Sarkozy who have met each other for about ten times since 2002 talked for a while at around 18:00 local time (1700GMT) and posed with smile for photographers before dining in a Paris restaurant.

The British head of government who had met with French President Jacques Chirac in the presidential office l'Elysee would return to London during the night, according to Peter Westmacott, British ambassador in Paris.

Blair is the first foreign leader who has met Sarkozy after his election as French president on May 6.

During the presidential election campaigns, Sarkozy said he would like to be inspired by a model of "pragmatism" from Blair who knew "modernize his country" and secure his country "the complete employment."