The Arabic language daily Al-Hayat, citing well-informed sources, said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal held talks in Paris Tuesday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The sources said Prince Saud’s visit comes within the framework of a global tour to rally support for Lebanon in a bid to free the country from its prolonged political impasse.
They said the foreign minister conveyed a "firm message" from King Abdullah which states that "outcome of failure in efforts to convince Syria to play a positive role in Lebanon should be removed."
The sources said that Prince Saud’s talks with Sarkozy tackled French, Arab and Saudi efforts.
They said both leaders also discussed ways to help strengthen Prime Minister Fuad Saniora’s government as well as the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces.
Al-Hayat said Sarkozy and Faisal were determined to exert every possible effort to "urge the international community to support all legitimate Lebanese institutions" by dispatching delegates to Lebanon and sending messages of political and economic support.
The sources said France continues to assist the Lebanese military through equipment and training.
France and the Kingdom are determined to urge the international community to support all the Lebanese legitimate institutions through visits and messages at the political level and also at the economic level through the financial agreements which will be signed by the French Foreign Minister Bernard Koachner in Beirut or Saniora in Paris, the sources added.
In this backdrop, the sources see countries like the Kingdom and Egypt can’t attend the summit which is scheduled to be held in Damascus.
The source also mentioned that an understanding has been reached that France along with the remaining EC countries speak with one voice to Syria and also stressed the importance of speeding up steps for the formation of the international tribunal. France would contribute to it with 6 million euro.
The meeting was attended by the Kingdom’s Ambassador to France Muhammed Aal Al-Sheikh, Sarkozy’s Adviser Jean David, General Secretary of the Elysees Palace Claude Geant and Koachner’s assistant Christophe Begaut.
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja said one of the principles of the Saudi policy is not to interfere in domestic affairs of any country.
Riyadh tries to defuse the differences and not escalate them.
