French envoy hands invites to Lebanon leaders
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A French envoy arrived in Beirut on  Tuesday to hand out invitations to rival Lebanese leaders for a  meeting in France later this month aimed at easing tensions in  the country.
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In their first direct negotiations in four months, leaders of Lebanon's pro-government and opposition camps met twice in 24 hours and found some convergence of views on ending the country's political crisis.
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Top Palestinian officials are to meet the French president in the hope of visiting the ailing Yasser Arafat.
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U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said   on Friday European nations would provide the backbone of a   15,000-strong United Nations peace force for Lebanon and he had   asked France to lead it.
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed holding talks between Iraqi factions in France similar to those it hosted in July for Lebanon, in an interview published Sunday in the Al-Hayat daily.
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France could boost its presence in Afghanistan to help the Afghan army and police in a surprise visit to give French troops his Christmas greetings.
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Lebanon&#39;s political factions including the pro-Syrian opposition Hezbollah on Saturday began two days of talks in France to try to ease the deadlock paralysing the nation.
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BEIRUT: Leaders of the United Nations, the U.S. and France are receiving large Lebanese flags covered in signatures.
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Arab League foreign ministers open a two-day meeting here on Tuesday focused on Lebanon and its relations with Syria, the situation in war-wracked Iraq, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Israel's foreign minister on Monday asked France to use its influence in the Arab world to help promote better relations between Israel and Persian Gulf and North African nations.
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UNITED NATIONS : The UN Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution presented by France and the United States calling for respect for Lebanon&#39;s sovereignty, the US ambassador here said.
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy said  France could boost its presence in Afghanistan to help the  Afghan army and police in a surprise visit to give French  troops his Christmas greetings.
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The foreign ministers of France, Italy and Spain on Saturday reiterated their commitment toward ending a long-running political crisis in Lebanon that is blocking the election of a president.
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The Palestinian leadership is to send a delegation to Paris in an attempt to establish the cause of Yasser Arafat&#39;s death last week amid a growing belief among Palestinians that he was poisoned by Israel.
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Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader and Syria support an Arab plan to end the constitutional crisis in Lebanon, which has not had a president since November 23, diplomatic and political sources said on Sunday.
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Syria is working to help resolve Lebanon's presidential crisis, the foreign minister said on Thursday, responding to reports that France's patience was wearing thin with Damascus over a stalled presidential election.
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Lebanon's rival parties met in a French chateau Saturday for unusual and long-awaited talks meant to ease a political and sectarian crisis threatening to rip apart their country.