WORLD> Middle East
|
WORLD> Middle East
|
|
Sarkozy urges reconciliation on Lebanon visit
(Reuters)
Updated: 2008-06-07 21:42 Lebanon won its independence from France in 1943 but Paris maintained strong ties to the country, especially with its Christian community, ever since. Sarkozy and his foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, tried and failed to broker a deal to end the Lebanese crisis in December. But the recent breakthrough is set to improve ties between Paris and Damascus. A French official said Sarkozy would send two of his closest aides -- Jean-David Levitte and Claude Geant -- to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in the next few days. Sarkozy said during his visit to Beirut that the people responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri needed to be apprehended. "That is non-negotiable," the official said. A UN-sponsored special court is being set up to try the suspect in The Hague. Syria remains a key player in Lebanon and Sarkozy had demanded that it facilitate a solution in Lebanon before relations could improve. |
