Paris  - French President Nicolas Sarkozy defended on Tuesday his diplomatic approach to Russia after its war with Georgia and spoke out in favour of Ukraine's territorial integrity at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yushchenko, in Paris.

"Our prosperity and security depend on prosperity, stability and security (in Eastern Europe). We, Europe, want peaceful relations with Russia," Sarkozy said less than a day after negotiating the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.

London, Sept. 9 : French President Nicolas Sarkozy faced an embarrassing split in his Cabinet on Monday over a computer system that the new French internal intelligence service will use to spy on the private lives of millions of law-abiding citizens.

Defence Minister Hervé Morin broke government ranks to side with a growing revolt against Edvige, an acronym for a police database that will store personal details including opinions, the social circle and even sexual preferences of more or less anyone who interests the State.

London, Sept 9: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is planning to turn the suburbs of Paris to make it look more like Croydon.

The project could see a new generation of high rise buildings linked by an orbital railway in the city's suburbs in a bid to encourage the middle classes to move out of the centre of the French capital and to allow ordinary working people to move in.

British architects have now been invited to submit their plans for hundreds of new buildings.

Moscow - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will spearhead international efforts to pressure Russia into withdrawing more troops from Georgia, in talks in Moscow and Tbilisi on Monday to save the ceasefire pact he brokered last month.

Sarkozy is attempting to force Moscow's full compliance with the accord that stopped the five-day war over South Ossetia, by threatening to suspend talks on a new EU-Russia partnership agreement. The French president, who currently holds the EU rotating presidency, is backed by an EU ministers vote at an emergency session on September 1.

Beirut - Syria informed French President Nicolas Sarkozy it has
arrested Lebanon's most-wanted terrorist suspect, Fatah al-Islam leader
Shaker al-Abssi, the Lebanese website Naharnet said Thursday.

It quoted what it called "reliable Syrian sources" as saying Abssi
was in Syrian custody and that contacts were under way between security
agencies in Damascus and Beirut to determine whether he be extradited
to Lebanon or tried in Syria.

The report came hours after the United Arab Emirates daily al-

Damascus  - French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Syria Wednesday accompanied by Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner for a two- day visit.

The French politicians were welcomed by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and other officials at Damascus Airport.

The French president was to head immediately to the presidential palace for an official welcoming ceremony to be followed by bilateral talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to discuss regional issues.