Nicolas Sarkozy in Lebanon

Nicolas Sarkozy June 4, 2008

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said he will visit Lebanon on Saturday to meet the new Lebanese president elected after a protracted political crisis.

Sarkozy’s office said he will meet Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in Beirut and visit French troops in the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

Sarkozy’s office said in a statement Monday that he will stress France’s support for Lebanon and its independence.

Suleiman was elected May 25 after a deal brokered in Qatar to end an 18-month political crisis.

Sarkozy will travel there from Greece, where he is paying a visit Friday.