Lebanese president set for wide-ranging talks in Germany

Michel SuleimanBeirut - Lebanese President Michel Suleiman is to visit Berlin on December 3 on a two-day official visit, a source at the Presidential Palace said Saturday.

Suleiman is expected to discuss with his German counterpart Horst Koehler and Chancellor Angela Merkel political and security issues, as well as Lebanon's financial debt, the source said.

The daily An-Nahar quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Suleiman is to tackle with Merkel the new political situation in Lebanon following last May's Doha agreement, which ended seven days of bloody fighting between followers of the anti-Syrian ruling majority and the opposition led by Hezbollah.

He is also to discuss the recent election of Barack Obama as next US president, its effects on the Middle East peace process and the role of the European Union in the Mideast, the sources said.

Suleiman would also discuss with German officials, threats from fundamentalist groups in the region and how to counter terrorism.

Suleiman has visited 11 states in the five months since taking office. This will be his third visit to a European state participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). (dpa)

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