PARIS - France's President Jacques Chirac insisted Saturday his country was not interfering in any way in the internal affairs of Lebanon.

Last month the office of the Lebanese presidency accused Chirac of working with anti-Syrian political forces in a bid to oust Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud.

In an interview published in the Saudi newspaper Al Hayat to mark a visit by Chirac to Saudi Arabia, the French president was quoted as saying: "France is not interfering in Lebanese domestic politics, nor is it interfering in Syrian domestic politics... "

But he added that his government would wish "that Syria would conduct itself in conformity with United Nations resolutions in all respects, whether in respect of not destabilising Lebanon or the region, or whether it be a matter of cooperating unreservedly ... with the UN enquiry commission as expected of it." Lahoud has been under severe pressure ever since Lebanese security officials close to him were arrested over last year's murder of prime minister Rafiq Hariri and a UN probe accused his Syrian allies of being implicated in the killing.

Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese parliament, said Thursday participants in a national Lebanese dialogue had approved the setting up of an international tribunal on the Hariri killing in line with UN Security Council resolution 1644 adopted December 15.

Last month an official of the Lebanese presidential office, who asked not to be named, accused Chirac of personally supervising a group working with the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority in an effort to push Lahoud out of office.

The Lebanese media also quoted sources close to the Lebanese presidency accusing France of attempting to oust Lahoud, a pro-Syrian Maronite Christian.

"Chirac is personally supervising an urgent plan to oust Lahoud," wrote the Lebanese daily An-Nahar, quoting sources close to the presidency.

France had already angered the Lebanese president's supporters by co-sponsoring with the United States a series of Security Council resolutions critical of Syria and its Lebanese allies.

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