Visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Monday told reporters at Beirut airport that France is Lebanon's friend, and his visit to Lebanon is in support of Lebanon's stability, local Elnashra website reported.
Kouchner, who arrived Sunday evening in Lebanon, on Monday met with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Seniora and Parliament speaker Nabih Berri.
Kouchner, who was heading to neighboring Syria to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ahead of a visit to Syria by French President Nicolas Sarkozy planned for early September, said that he would convey a message to Syria about the general willingness to have a "stable Lebanon".
He described the situation in Lebanon as complicated and added "let us not add more complications to it".
"I will tell Syrian officials during my visit to Syria, that the future relations between France and Syria highly depends on the nature of Lebanese-Syrian ties", Kouchner said.
After his meeting with President Suleiman, he also stressed that the French openness to Damascus is "related to steps made by Syria in favor of Lebanon".
The Lebanese and Syrian presidents announced their willingness to establish diplomatic ties between their two countries in French capital Paris last month.
The announcement was followed by an official visit by the Lebanese president to Syria, and later by a Lebanese cabinet decree issued last Thursday agreeing the establishment of diplomatic ties with Syria.
Source: Xinhua
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