World leaders converge on Paris, with crowd of thousands

PARIS – Arab Telegraph Leaders from dozens of countries have arrived at the French presidential palace in an extraordinary display of global unity, while tens of thousands of people crammed into Paris’ Republique square to honor the 17 victims of three days of bloodshed.

Even hardened rivals such as the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian president, and top representatives from Ukraine and Russia, were gathered together in the giant formal rooms of the Elysee, along with French President Francois Hollande.

“Paris is the capital of the world today,” Hollande said, a few minutes before welcoming the leaders.

The three days of terror began Wednesday when a pair of masked gunmen stormed the newsroom of the satirical newspaper, killing 12 people. Later a separate gunman killed a policewoman on the outskirts of Paris and four hostages at a kosher grocery.