Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stated on Wednesday that an agreement must be reached over Hizbullah’s possession of arms, reiterating past statements that it is not normal for one Lebanese political group to possess weapons and be part of cabinet and parliament.

He said: “Some sides interpreted these remarks as a sign that I support the party’s positions, but all I wanted to say is that the international community is also responsible for this issue as Hizbullah’s arms are not only a Lebanese matter, but an international one.”

Turkey's prime minister on Tuesday rebuffed French President Nicolas Sarkozy's call for Ankara to recognize the World War I-era killing of Armenians as genocide, urging "honesty" in politics.

Speaking in Turkish parliament, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Sarkozy for using different languages when he spoke in Turkey, France and Armenia.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet in Paris in the coming days to discuss the Palestinian bid for U.N. recognition, Abbas' envoy said.

Palestinian foreign minister Ryad al-Maliki said Abbas would depart for France after meeting Tuesday with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos on the request for U.N. Security Council recognition of a Palestinian state.

France's opposition Socialists boasted Sunday that a strong turn-out in their primary was an early victory in the battle to oust Nicolas Sarkozy, but failed to choose a clear winner of their own.

As expected, 57-year-old former party leader Francois Hollande was in first place but, with most polling stations reporting, he had only 39 percent of the vote and was on course to face a tight run-off vote.

Polls opened on Sunday in France's first open U.S.-style primary election, with the left-wing opposition choosing a candidate to take on an increasingly vulnerable President Nicolas Sarkozy next year.

Voters are deciding who will lead the Socialist Party, with former leader Francois Hollande appearing at the head of a pack of six frontrunners.

The French Foreign Minister voiced on Friday its “deep concern” over the safety of Syrians in Lebanon in light of reports that the Syrian army had infiltrated Lebanese territory on Thursday where it killed a Syrian national living near the border.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero stressed during a press conference that France is committed to an independent, sovereign, and secure Lebanon.

Europe's leaders scrambled Friday to reassure investors the continent's banks were safe, stepping up calls for fresh cash injections as Paris played down reported differences with Germany over the crisis.

While EU leaders agree on the need for action to shore up over-exposed banks, a division of opinion reportedly emerged between France and Germany on how to proceed, two days before their leaders are due to meet in Berlin.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Turkey on Friday to recognize the World War I-era massacres of Armenians as genocide within a "very brief" period before his term ends in May 2012.

"From 1915 to 2011, it seems to be enough (time) for reflection," Sarkozy told reporters in Yerevan on the second day of his visit to Armenia.

Ministers loyal to National Struggle Front leader Walid Jumblat have held consultations with the Druze chief over Hizbullah’s official announcement that it rejects to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

A source did not unveil to al-Liwaa daily the details of the discussions but said that the situation inside and outside the cabinet was “dangerous” after reportedly Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told his visitors that that the tribunal will not be funded.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday urged Turkey to take responsibility for the 1915 massacre of Armenians, calling its refusal to recognize the deaths as genocide as "unacceptable".

Sarkozy's comments, issued at the start of his first state visit to Armenia, whose diaspora represents a large voting minority in France, come months before a presidential election which he heads into with approval ratings at a low.