French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron tried Tuesday to laugh off a rocky start to their relationship despite lingering differences over the eurozone crisis.

Hollande also met Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle near London on his one-day visit, the socialist leader's first trip to fellow NATO ally and EU heavyweight Britain since he was elected in May.

France on Tuesday condemned Syrian shelling of areas of northern Lebanon and said it backed Lebanese plans to boost its military presence along the Syrian border.

"France condemns the Syrian shelling of Lebanese territory and the repeated violent acts in recent days at the Syrian-Lebanese border," French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told a press conference.

An armed man Tuesday took a parent hostage at a French school in a southeastern Paris suburb but released his captive after negotiations and was then arrested by police, a police source said.

The incident in Vitry-sur-Seine started at around 05:00 GMT when three children and five adults, including two parents, were in the school, which is being used as a leisure center during the holidays, police said.

France and Germany marked 50 years of reconciliation, their leaders stressing the ties that unite the two countries and condemning news of the desecration of dozens of German war graves.

The vandalism of more than 40 graves of German soldiers killed during World War I came on the eve of the highly symbolic meeting in Reims in northern France, a region scarred by centuries of war with Germany.

France and Germany marked 50 years of reconciliation Sunday but the desecration of German war graves marred a meeting of their leaders that could ease tensions on tackling the euro debt crisis.

The vandalism of the graves of 51 German soldiers killed during World War I on the eve of the highly symbolic meeting cast a shadow over the ceremony in Reims in northern France, a region scarred from centuries of war with Germany.

President Michel Suleiman is set to travel to France on Thursday where is expected to hold talks with his French counterpart Francois Hollande to highlight the importance of Lebanese-French ties and tackle the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, especially Syria, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.

Diplomatic sources said that Hollande will likely encourage Suleiman to maintain the government’s policy of distancing itself from the Syrian crisis.

Ten people were injured in the early hours of Sunday when an armed man opened fire at a nightclub in northern France after being refused entry, police said.

The injuries were not serious and the wounded were taken to hospital in nearby Cambrai, according to the armed gendarmerie police.

The gravestones of 40 German soldiers from World War I have been desecrated at a military cemetery in the Ardennes region of northern France, the interior ministry said Saturday.

The announcement came on the eve of the 50th anniversary of renewed Franco-German relations after World War II.

French President Francois Hollande confirmed Saturday plans for a new law criminalizing denial of the Armenian genocide with representatives of the Armenian community, the Elysee Palace confirmed.

"The president expressed his commitments during the campaign. He will keep them," an Elysee Palace official told Agence France Presse, confirming a telephone conversation Hollande had had with an Armenian community leader.

Former France captain Didier Deschamps is in talks with the French Football Federation (FFF) about becoming the national team's new manager, a source close to the talks revealed Saturday.

"We are in full negotiation. It's a step further, but it's not yet an outcome. We are in the phase of entry into talks. If there is an outcome and an agreement, I think it won't be before tomorrow (Sunday)," the source added.