BEIRUT, Sept 27 (AFP) - Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri will meet French President Jacques Chirac this week ahead of UN chief Kofi Annan's report on Syria's dominant role in Lebanon.
Their talks in Paris on Thursday follow the UN Security Council's adoption this month of a resolution sponsored by France and the United States calling for an end to foreign political and military interference in Lebanon.
Resolution l559 was a clear message to Syria, which dominates political life in its tiny neighbour and maintains around 15,000 troops on Lebanese soil -- even after a limited military pullback started last week.
Officially, Hariri's office described his trip to Paris as a "working visit" which will discuss the situation in the Middle East region and bilateral relations.
But it comes shortly before Annan is to brief the Security Council on October 3 on the implementation of Resolution 1559, which calls for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon and respect for its sovereignty.
Just a day after the September 2 resolution was adopted, Lebanon's parliament passed a controversial Syrian-inspired change to its constitution to allow Damascus protege President Emile Lahoud to serve another three-year term -- drawing sharp criticism in Washington and Paris.
The resolution has put a strain on ties between Damascus and Paris, the former mandatory power in both Syria and Lebanon.
Syria's official Ath-Thawra daily said on Sunday it hoped that the "misunderstanding" with France would be cleared up soon.