New French foreign minister condemns Beirut attack
France’s new foreign minister today condemned a deadly bomb attack near a busy Beirut shopping centre, and reaffirmed the importance to France of Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s statement appeared to reaffirm France’s policy toward the Middle Eastern country, after last week’s change in government.
Mr Kouchner, on his first full day on the job, spoke by telephone with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora about the possibility of meeting soon, a ministry statement said.
France was confident in Lebanese authorities’ ability to restore order, the statement said. Mr Kouchner had called Mr Saniora to note “the importance we accord to the independence, the sovereignty and the stability of Lebanon”, it said.
Lebanon, once ruled by France, played a key role in former President Jacques Chirac’s policy in the Middle East.
Last week, Mr Chirac handed power over to President Nicolas Sarkozy, and in trying to assure a smooth transition, called Mr Sarkozy in for a meeting with Saad Hariri, head of Lebanon's parliamentary majority and son of assassinated leader Rafik Hariri, Mr Chirac's close friend.
France has pressed for an international investigation into the assassination, and Mr Kouchner, in his statement, reiterated the need for an international court to judge Hariri's assassins.
Lebanon’s President Emil Lahoud publicly criticised Mr Chirac last year in a high-level rift seen as the lowest point in bilateral relations since Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943. The militant Iran-backed Hezbollah also expressed its wish for a new policy under Sarkozy.
