France to host int'l meeting on Lebanon: ministry

PARIS, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- France will host a ministerial meeting of the international support group for Lebanon on Dec. 8 as part of Paris diplomatic initiative to avoid a fresh political crisis in the country where a balance between minorities is already fragile, the foreign ministry announced on Thursday.

France, a traditional ally of Lebanon, invited the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the United Kingdom, China, Russia and the United States, in addition to representatives of the European Union, the Arab League, Italy and Germany, the Quai d'Orsay said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri will also attend the meeting. His resignation, last month, triggered a political crisis in Beirut that put the stability in the country and the whole region at risk.

"The purpose of this meeting is to allow the international community to reaffirm its support for Lebanon, its sovereignty, its stability and its security," the Quai d'Orsay added. Enditem