Washington, October 31, SPA -- The Bush administration’s key diplomat on Lebanon will meet his French counterpart this week to discus Lebanon’s presidential deadlock and efforts to reduce Syrian involvement in the affairs of its smaller neighbor, the State Department said Tuesday. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch will meet French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran and officials from the French president’s office during a visit to Paris on Wednesday. “The meetings in Paris will seek to further strengthen the already strong international support for Lebanese sovereignty and underline our insistence that the Lebanese presidential election must go forward without threat and foreign interference,” a State Department official told reporters on condition of anonymity. After the talks in Paris, Welch will go to Jerusalem, where envoys from the Middle East peacemaking Quartet are scheduled to meet on Thursday ahead of a visit this weekend to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/495303