French president arrives in Lebanon seeking Gaza ceasefire
French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Beirut on Tuesday to meet with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Sleiman at the end of a Middle East tour aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Sarkozy earlier met in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and urged Syria to put pressure on its ally Hamas to return to a truce in Gaza where Israeli forces are carrying out an offensive against Hamas militants.
The French head of state, during his hours-long visit to Lebanon, was also to travel to the southern part of the country to meet with French troops serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The French president, who handed over the rotating presidency of the European Union to the Czech Republic on New Year”s Day, began his regional trip on Monday, holding talks with leaders in Egypt, Israel and the West Bank.
A separate EU delegation is also visiting the region to seek a ceasefire.