Egyptian presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim El-Awa stated on Monday that he considered socialist Francois Hollande's victory over Nicolas Sarkozy in French presidential elections a "positive step" towards better Egypt-France relations.

El-Awa added that the socialist candidate would adopt a "better approach" to the countries of the Middle East, unlike Sarkozy who, he said, had "a history of hostility towards Arabs."

The presidential contender also expressed his opinion that socialists in general had a "better attitude" towards countries of the third world, adding that Hollande would likely enjoy good relations with Egypt's next president.

A well-known Islamic thinker and writer, El-Awa has worked as a legal consultant for a number of governments, including those of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Sudan, Yemen and Pakistan.

He declared his intention to run in Egypt's first post-Mubarak presidential poll in June of last year.

Presidential elections are slated to take place on 23 and 24 May, with a runoff vote scheduled for 16 and 17 June in the event that no single candidate wins an outright majority. Egypt's next president will be formally named on 21 June.

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