BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati has ruled out Lebanon participating in any “Friends of Syria” group ahead of an official visit to France and said he would not allow his country to be used against any Arab state.

“Lebanon cannot participate in such a conference. Those who appreciate Lebanon should understand its position,” Mikati told Lebanese French-language newspaper L'Orient le Jour in an interview published Thursday.

“Lebanon must remain distant,” he added.

Western powers have called for the establishment of a "Friends of Syria" contact group of nations that would tighten pressure on the Syrian regime while simultaneously increasing aid to Syrian civilians in areas besieged by government forces.

This comes in the wake of the failure to pass – following vetoes by Russia and China – a United Nations Security Council resolution urging Syrian President Bashar Assad to give up power.

Mikati, who attended the annual Mar Maroun Day mass in Beirut Thursday, will leave later in the day on an official two-day visit to Paris, where he will hold talks with French officials, including President Nicholas Sarkozy, Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Foreign Affairs Minister Alain Juppe, who will hold a dinner in the Lebanese premier’s honor Friday.

In the interview with the Lebanese daily, Mikati described the visit as an important one that confirms the historical relations between Lebanon and France.

He also denied that the invitation he received for the visit is a reward for his having secured Lebanon's share of the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).

“I don’t want this trip to be explained in terms of compensation for the financing of the STL. I consider this decision as having been made in the interests of the country,” Mikati said.

“My trip to France is not some kind of present for the financing [of the court],” Mikati added.

The Lebanese prime minister also said the trip should not be seen as an occasion to put pressure on Lebanon’s neighbor Syria.

Asked about Juppe spearheading a campaign against Damascus and whether this was problematic for Lebanon, Mikati said:

“Everyone is free to take a stance. It is not for me to dictate his opinions ... The French minister will put forward his and I will explain mine.”

Mikati reiterated his opposition to using Lebanon against the government in Syria.

“I reject that Lebanon be used as a conduit against an Arab country, whichever country that may be,” Mikati said.

“Also, our country is divided over the Syrian question and we have interests that we have to take into account ... almost 80 percent of our frontiers are with Syria. All this needs to be taken into consideration,” Mikati added.

Mikati also said he would contact his predecessor, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, while in Paris.

“We are from the Orient and according to our customs and traditions it is normal to check up on the health of someone who has had an accident and surgery,” Mikati said.

“If time permits, I might also visit him, but this would have nothing to do with politics,” he added.