French president to visit Lebanon on Nov. 4

French President Francois Hollande is set to visit Lebanon on Nov. 4 for a three-hour visit to meet with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman, a high-ranking official at Suleiman's office confirmed Friday. "President Hollande will visit Beirut for a few hours on Sunday for talks with President Suleiman," the official said, explaining that they will have breakfast together and then hold a press conference. The Assafir daily had quoted a diplomatic source as saying that "the significance of this visit is that it comes amid the delicate situation that Lebanon and the region are passing through." The source added that "It indicates the international community 's keenness to safeguard Lebanon and prevent any negative repercussions from having an impact on the country." The source noted that France is committed to Lebanon's " security, stability, independence and sovereignty." Hollande's trip will be the first by a French president since the previous head of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, visited here in June 2008. The Assafir reported that Prime Minister Najib Miqati will reconsider his scheduled visit to France on Nov. 18 in light of Holland's "sudden" visit to Beirut. The political crisis in Lebanon deepened between the March 14- led opposition and the March 8 alliance after the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau head Wissam al-Hasan on Oct. 19.