Lebanon awaits ministers

Lebanon expects the visit of French, Spanish and Italian ministers.

Photo: Lebanon awaits ministers

France's minister Bernard Kouchner, Spain's Miguel Angel Moratinos and Italy's Massimo D'Alema hatched the idea of a joint visit to the troubled Middle Eastern nation during a meeting last week in Rome, said French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani.

"They talked about this subject; they thought it was a good idea to go to Lebanon," Andreani told reporters. "They will very likely go to Lebanon."

The date and details of the trip have yet to be confirmed, Andreani said, adding she expected an official announcement later this week.

Kouchner, who co-founded the humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders, has made a priority of encouraging dialogue between the Western-backed government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and the Hezbollah-led opposition, which are locked in a fierce power struggle.

In July, he hosted leaders from 14 feuding Christian and Muslim factions for a conference in France and visited Lebanon later the same month. He made another trip to the country in September.