AVIGNON (France), April 24 (RIA Novosti) - The parents of a 3-year-old French-Russian girl involved in a "tug of love" dispute over their daughter have reached an amicable agreement, a prominent Russian lawyer said on Friday.
Anatoly Kucherena, who acts for Elise Andre's mother, Irina Belenkaya, said he had spent five hours at a hotel in Avignon, France discussing the dispute with the father, Jean-Michel Andre, his lawyer, and a Russian diplomat from the country's embassy in Paris.
Kucherena said that while he and his client were ready to engage in legal proceedings, "this should all be aimed at allowing both Andre and Belenkaya to communicate with the child, and to bring her up."
"This is the most important issue and today we have come to an agreement," the lawyer said.
He did not disclose the details of the agreement, however, saying that "it will take time" to finalize the deal.
The Russian and French lawyers are due to have a series of meetings in the near future. In addition, Kucherena is also expected to meet with representatives of French ministries in Paris and with Irina Belenkaya in Hungary.
Elise has been "kidnapped" back and forth three times in the past two years by her warring parents. Andre was awarded custody by a French court after their divorce in 2007.
She was then kidnapped in southern France last month, allegedly by Belenkaya, who was subsequently arrested attempting to cross the border from Hungary to Ukraine with her daughter on April 12. She is currently in custody in Hungary.
Elise is now in France with her father.
