President Michel Suleiman met Thursday the French President Nicholas Sarkozy in New York. The two leaders’ discussion revolved around bilateral ties and the latest political developments in the Mideast.
The French support for Lebanon’s non-permanent membership in the U.N Security Council was a major topic on the meeting agenda as Sarkozy renewed “France’s full support of Lebanon in the international forums.” and tackled the Cabinet lineup issue calling for a Lebanese reconciliation that should result into “speeding up the Cabinet formation in order to enable Lebanon to handle the files and the dues that are awaiting on the national and regional levels.”

Given that, the two presidents reviewed the issues and files that the French PM Francois Fillon will discuss with the Lebanese officials during his visit to Beirut at the end of the month on the occasion of the Francophone Games opening in the Lebanese capital.

Suleiman’ s schedule for the day included many activities related to his efforts in lobbying for Lebanon’s presence in the U.N. Security Council as a non-permanent member.

Following his meeting with Sarkozy, he met with Austrian President Heinz Fisher who confirmed that his country will vote in support of Lebanon’s non-permanent membership in the Security Council for the consecutive years 2010 and 2011 and hoped “for a Cabinet lineup as soon as possible.”

At the end of his meeting with Suleiman, the Bosnian President stressed on the necessity of developing bilateral relations and reinforcing the economic and investments exchange between the two countries.”,

Suleiman met also the Iranian and the Palestinian heads of states as well as the Turkish PM, the Foreign Ministers of UAE and Egypt and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani with whom he had dinner.

President Suleiman started his day attending the Security Council meeting headed by the American President Obama on the non-proliferation of the nuclear arms and is expected to deliver his speech at the U.N. General Assembly Friday at 6pm, Beirut time.