BEIRUT, Lebanon - French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged strong support for Lebanon's new president and urged feuding factions to engage in dialogue Saturday during a one-day visit to the country. Sarkozy is the first Western head of state to meet President Michel Suleiman since the former army chief was elected as compromise president on May 25. The election was part of an agreement signed in Qatar last month to end an 18-month political crisis that had pushed Lebanon to the brink of civil war.“President Suleiman has a big responsibility to achieve national reconciliation... There has been too much suffering in Lebanon," Sarkozy said.
Suleiman and Sarkozy's convoys drove through streets decorated with the French and Lebanese flags to the suburban presidential palace in Baabda as army helicopters flew overhead. Sarkozy then held a closed meeting with Suleiman before meeting with representatives of the main 14 Lebanese political factions, including delegates of the militant Hezbollah group, at a lunch at the presidential palace.
France, a former colonial power with strong ties to Lebanon, hosted representatives of the 14 groups at a conference last year meant to encourage dialogue between them, but the meeting
Speaking at the presidential palace flanked by Suleiman, Sarkozy later called for a “sincere dialogue between the Lebanese on a national defense strategy, which can longer be deferred."
| That should just about do it ... |