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French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Sunday. (AP)
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Last update - 23:28 30/12/2007
France to cut Syria ties over Lebanon presidential crisis
By News Agencies
Tags: France, Nicolas Sarkozy 

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Sunday he had instructed his staff to suspend diplomatic contacts with Syria until Paris has proof that Damascus is working for a consensus president in Lebanon.

Speaking in Egypt after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Sarkozy said he had no regrets about his previous contacts with Syrian President Bashar Assad but the time had come for deeds rather than words from Syria.

"We cannot wait any longer. Syria must stop talking, must demonstrate [with deeds]," he said.
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"I will not make any more contacts with Syria ... [and] all of my colleagues ... as long as there is no proof of Syria's will to let Lebanon choose a consensus president," he added.

Lebanon has not had a president since Nov. 23 due to disagreements between the anti-Syrian ruling coalition and the Damascus-backed opposition over the country's political orientation.

Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal called Sarkozy's comments surprising, telling Syrian state television that Damascus was working with France to reach an agreement on a president who represents all Lebanese.

Rival leaders have agreed on army chief General Michel Suleiman as a consensus candidate to be president but they are still wrangling over how to share power once he takes office.

The conflict reflects a regional struggle for influence between Syria and Iran on one side, and the United States and its European and Arab allies on the other.

France, Lebanon's former colonial ruler, played a lead role in mediating the agreement on Suleiman's candidacy and has been frustrated that the deal has not yet gone through.

The French president spoke with Syrian President Bashar Assad as recently as the beginning of December to urge him to facilitate the election in Lebanon. Sarkozy sent his chief of staff, Claude Gueant, to Damascus in early November, and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem earlier that month on the sidelines of an Iraq conference in Turkey.

"France has taken the responsibility of talking with Syria," said Sarkozy. "One must recognize today that we cannot wait any longer, Syria must stop talking and now must act."

Mubarak told the same news conference it was unacceptable that Lebanon should go for months without a president and this could lead to unspecified complications.

He appealed to Syria to use its influence in Lebanon to make sure parliament elects a new president.

"I ask Syria to intervene with the influence that it basically has in Lebanon to work to create agreement," he said.

Sarkozy also called on Israel to halt settlement construction as a gesture to push forward peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

"I have said on several occasions... that it is the moment for the Israelis to make some gestures that would show that peace is possible - including a freeze on the implantation of colonies," Sarkozy said, using the French word for the settlements.

Sarkozy met Mubarak in the last days of a personal vacation the French president has taken in Egypt the past week. Later Sunday, Sarkozy toured the pyramids with his girlfriend, supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni.


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      1.   Well Done Sarkozy!! 15:02  |  Ruth 30/12/07
      2.   Well. how can "Eurabia" make such a move, bashers? 15:16  |  Mark B. 30/12/07
      3.   Ruth (#1) has her new hero 15:28  |  christoph 30/12/07
      4.   France`s role during the last 15:35  |  Kris 30/12/07
      5.   Sarkozy,the stooge of the Crime Syndicate! 15:39  |  lakshmi 30/12/07
      6.   New "poodle" 15:40  |  Frank 30/12/07
      7.   I`m sorry Ruth 15:43  |  Nabuchodonosor 30/12/07
      8.   WELCOME TO GROUND ZERO, SARKOZY.! 15:50  |  Stephen. 30/12/07
      9.   Tell them Sarko 15:51  |  Steve 30/12/07
      10.   LOL France is useless anyways... 16:09  |  POP 30/12/07
      11.   Sarkozy 16:27  |  Arain 30/12/07
      12.   Haha, the Israel haters have a new enemy 16:37  |  Ruth 30/12/07
      13.   Viva la France!!! 16:40  |  Conroy 30/12/07
      14.   Sarkozy always brings a smile 16:43  |  Natallie Durson 30/12/07
      15.   Israel acting against its interest 16:44  |  Ben 30/12/07
      16.   14 Natalie D. an additional reason can be found in 17:00  |  lakshmi 30/12/07
      17.   Sarco worked with Mossad and has Jewish blood 17:06  |  1 state soln 30/12/07
      18.   Olmert would have done the opposite 17:06  |  Jimmy Al-dhimmi 30/12/07
      19.   #15 Ben, Livni acted against Israel`s interest when... 17:06  |  Conroy 30/12/07
      20.   1 State Soln 17:19  |  rich 30/12/07
      21.   Mark B 17:21  |  rich 30/12/07
      22.   Christoph in Bielefeld 17:23  |  rich 30/12/07
      23.   Picture typical of Sarkozy 17:24  |  Mark B. 30/12/07
      24.   Sarkozy? Merkel? Blair? 17:31  |  Leb 30/12/07
      25.   In brief 17:40  |  Dav 30/12/07
      26.   Sarkozy Should Uniformly Apply His Standards 17:46  |  DoubleClick 30/12/07
      27.   1 state solution.....on voting for Knesset 18:10  |  Lynn 30/12/07
      28.   # 5 lakshmi....it is time for Syria 18:19  |  Lynn 30/12/07
      29.   # 14 durson ....in this case he is 18:23  |  Lynn 30/12/07
      30.   The tide is turning in Europe 18:23  |  TT 30/12/07
      31.   Way to go Sarkozy, the awakening of Europe, and it will be felt 18:34  |  Johnny 30/12/07
      32.   FIRST STEP MUST BE EQUAL VOTING RIGHTS 19:22  |  Arik Silverman 30/12/07
      33.   to Ruth no 1, and 12 19:32  |  Tina 30/12/07
      34.   20/ So you support ethnic cleansing? 19:34  |  1 state soln 30/12/07
      35.   to no 17 and Poutine KGB 19:37  |  Tina 30/12/07
      36.   France, Lebanon and the Syrian Ba`athist regime 19:37  |  JUDGE 30/12/07
      37.   pop 19:38  |  alan 30/12/07
      38.   TO ARIK #31 19:40  |  JUDGE 30/12/07
      39.   N. Durson 19:47  |  Walid 30/12/07
      40.   Repsonse to TT on knee jerk anti Americanism 19:47  |  Mark B. 30/12/07
      41.   1 state soln 19:47  |  alan 30/12/07
      42.   Who Cares 19:50  |  JJ 30/12/07
      43.   #5 Laksmi the stooge`s stooge of the Crime Syndicate 19:53  |  Sel 30/12/07
      44.   #2 mark france remains the same 19:54  |  duncan 30/12/07
      45.   Who Cares 20:11  |  JJ 30/12/07
      46.   1 state soln 20:27  |  rich 30/12/07
      47.   34 1 state solution,the aquistion of territory by war was 20:43  |  lakshmi 30/12/07
      48.   C`est sí bon!!! 20:54  |  Michael 30/12/07
      49.   Mark B 21:00  |  TT 30/12/07
      50.   Sarkozy 21:00  |  Danite 30/12/07
      51.   Sarky can go jump 21:07  |  AM 30/12/07
      52.   To Rich in London 21:17  |  christoph 30/12/07
      53.   Consensus candidate 21:58  |  The Northern Wind 30/12/07
      54.   Sigh. You anti-Semites never learn! 22:34  |  Denton 30/12/07
      55.   46 rich,very true,the jews did accept the Partition Resolution of 22:44  |  lakshmi 30/12/07
      56.   Napoleon is charging against a no-risk non-foe 22:57  |  Tosefta 30/12/07
      57.   Syrians are just puppets its the Iranian puppetmasters.See below 23:05  |  PETER SM 30/12/07
      58.   Lakshmi 23:08  |  rich 30/12/07
      59.   #17 when are all those mexicans going to vote for president 23:21  |  victor hardman 30/12/07
      60.   Napoleon is charging against a no-risk non-foe 23:32  |  Tosefta 30/12/07
      61.   Who cares for Lebanon and its president 23:47  |  NB 30/12/07
      62.   rich compensation for agressive pre-emptive war? 00:04  |  get real 31/12/07
      63.   Yawn 00:06  |  Colin Wright 31/12/07
      64.   Denton the retarded: anti semites? 00:08  |  get real 31/12/07
      65.   tosefta "i cant see any reason why the syrians should be blamed" 00:16  |  napoleonsolo 31/12/07
      66.   LAKSHMI Very true UNSCR 242 superseeded non binding181 00:44  |  PETER SM 31/12/07
      67.   #63 the lovely 01:53  |  Denton 31/12/07
      68.   Syrian bombings and assasinations. ?!?! 01:56  |  Rick 31/12/07
      69.   One question 02:57  |  Baz Mann 31/12/07
      70.   to #61 03:34  |  Jay 31/12/07
      71.   Arab debate if political reality or legalities will get them more 03:54  |  Sam 31/12/07
      72.   Sorry, Colin, I got the post wrong, but to Rick... 04:26  |  Denton 31/12/07
      73.   Lakshmi #55_Have You Ever Heard Of A Breach Of Contract? 05:20  |  Eli 31/12/07
      74.   RICK Its only polite to return Arab "gifts" to Israeli civillians 06:16  |  PETER SM 31/12/07
      75.   Tosefta 06:21  |  Danite 31/12/07
      76.   Sarkozy: Bush`s new poodle 06:35  |  peacelover 31/12/07
      77.   Sarkozy 06:58  |  Frank 31/12/07
      78.   Humbug! 07:43  |  Jim 31/12/07
      79.   Walid #39 regarding Durston 10:03  |  FOX 31/12/07
      80.   Tosefta #56 I don`t understand anything from the article 11:16  |  S 31/12/07
      81.