Miqati rejects terming his Paris visit as 'prize'

Sources close to Prime Minister Najib Miqati have denied that the PM’s visit to Paris this week is a “prize” for his decision to fund the controversial Special Tribunal for Lebanon that will try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s suspected assassins. In remarks to An Nahar daily published Tuesday, the sources said Miqati rejects for his visit to be described as a “prize” over his decision in November to pay Lebanon’s share to the STL through the Higher Relief Council. He also rejects that his visit on Thursday be used for instigation against Syria, the sources said. Their comments came a day after pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted ministerial sources as saying that Miqati’s scheduled visit and talks with top officials, including President Nicolas Sarkozy, is a reflection of French approval of Miqati’s decision to fund the court and the Lebanese government’s decision to steer Lebanon clear of the Syrian crisis. The sources said in other remarks to As Safir daily that the main objective of his visit is aimed at discussing bilateral ties, the role of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and mainly the French unit, and the developments in the region. Miqati will seek to ask for French military assistance so that the Lebanese army could carry out his mission to preserve security and stability in the country, they said. An Nahar said that a delegation that will accompany Miqati will not include ministers given that Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour will attend two meetings of Arab officials. Central Bank governor Riyad Salameh, who is currently in Paris, will join the meetings when Miqati holds economic talks with French officials at the end of his visit on Saturday, An Nahar said. It said that the premier intends to visit ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri who is recuperating at his Paris home from fractures he suffered in his leg following a ski accident in the French Alps. “It is a moral and humanitarian duty,” to visit him, the daily added. But sources in Hariri’s al-Mustaqbal movement have said that Miqati hasn’t asked for an appointment to meet with the former premier. Beirut - Naharnet