BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati will travel to France next month, where he is scheduled to meet with high-ranking French officials, including President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Mikati’s press office confirmed that the prime minister’s visit to Paris is scheduled for Feb.10.
An Nahar newspaper has reported that Mikati would meet with his French counterpart Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Foreign
Minister Alain Juppe.
According to the daily, discussions in Paris will center on events in Syria, France’s role in the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon, and the issue of extending the mandate governing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which expires in March.
Mikati has maintained that Lebanon should disassociate itself from the 10-month uprising against the government in Damascus for fear of negative repercussions on Beirut. Lebanon’s policy has been met with support from several lawmakers aligned with the March 8 coalition, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
There has been speculation that Paris might reduce the manpower of its 1,308-strong French contingent within UNIFIL, particularly following Sarkozy’s threat that France would withdraw its troops if future attacks occur against its peacekeeping force.
In December, Chief of the international organizations department at the French Foreign Ministry Nicholas de Riviere said Paris is determined to remain part of UNIFIL despite recent attacks targeting French peacekeepers in south Lebanon.
As for the issue of the STL, which last year accused four Hezbollah members of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, France has repeatedly urged Lebanon to respect its obligations toward the U.N.-backed tribunal.