France ready to open up to Syria if it stays out of Lebanon

Kouchner said he hoped that Syria would "not create obstacles to Lebanon's sovereignty" when it holds presidential elections beginning next month to choose a successor to pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud.

"If Syria does not create obstacles to Lebanon's sovereignty (...) then France will open up to Damascus in a spectacular way," Kouchner said in the popular Le Parisien newspaper.

"But for this to happen, we would need guarantees," he added, without elaborating.

Lebanon faces a test during the election by parliament of the new president between September 24 and November 24 that will pit the pro-western government to the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran.

Kouchner did not rule out visiting Iran. "Why not, if it can be useful to advance peace?," he said.

But he added that France remained adamant in demanding that Tehran give up its nuclear ambitions saying a nuclear-armed Iran would pose "a great danger."

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