Irish president in Beirut Thursday

Irish President Mary McAleese will arrive in Beirut Thursday for a three-day visit which is to include a visit to south Lebanon.

McAleese would be the third head of state to visit Lebanon this year, which is struggling to restore its presence in the international arena following the 1975-90 civil war. French President Jacques Chirac and Italian president Oscar Luigi Scalfaro both visited Lebanon and the combat zone in the south this year.

The Irish president is scheduled to visit the southern coastal town of Naqoura on Friday, which has housed the headquarters of a United Nations peace-keeping force in Lebanon since 1978. She will inspect her country's contingent in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and spend the night with the Irish battalion in Tibnine.

McAleese will also meet with Lebanese officials, including President Elias Hrawi, to discuss bilateral ties.