On Lahd's visit to France

Monte Carlo radio said on Friday quoting French diplomatic sources that commander of the SLA militia (South Lebanese Army) Antoine Lahd is currently in a private visit to France, adding that so far France has not received from him a request asking for political asylum.

Other sources told the radio that Lahd, is seeking to ask political asylum for 200 of his army officers.

Meantime, AFP quoted a French official as saying in a statement on Friday that Israel has recently asked France officially to receive many members of the SLA militias, SANA reported. The French official who refused to be identified said that the assistant for the Israeli activities in South Lebanon Yuri Lubrani in South Lebanon asked the French embassy in Tel Aviv to interfere with Paris in order to make an initiative for accommodating members of the SLA militias.