Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) holds bilateral talks Secretary General of the Francophonie Abdou Diouf in Bucharest, Romania. (CP/Fred Chartrand) BUCHAREST, Romania (CP) - The representatives from the 50 countries attending the Francophone summit will discuss the fighting between Israel and Lebanon this summer even though the top Lebanese leaders will not be there.

Romania, the host country, did not invite Lebanese President Emile Lahoud but did invite Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. The country's minister of culture reportedly will attend instead of him.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who arrived at the summit on Wednesday, did not see any reason why the discussion on Lebanon should not go ahead.

Harper said the invitations are decided by the host country.

"It is Lebanon's decision (not to come) but we can still have a discussion on Lebanon," he said after meeting with Romanian President Traian Basescu.

He recalled the considerable efforts made by Canada and the international community to help Lebanon rebuild after last summer's fighting.

The summit of French-speaking nations will look at ways to get a bigger voice in international issues and increased use of French in information technologies and education.

Canadian and Romanian schools were twinned Wednesday as world leaders arrived for the summit of Francophone nations.

Two Quebec schools - in Laval and Beauceville - and St-Francois school in Bouctouche, N.B., were twinned in a ceremony broadcast to the institutions by satellite as Premier Jean Charest and Premier Bernard Lord looked on with the Romanian education minister.

Students at the schools exchanged a few words in the hookup and talked about speaking French.

Quebec will give its Romanian twin schools books for their libraries, as well as a printer, digital camera, Internet cameras and CDs and DVDs.

"Language is an element of freedom," said Charest. "Today, young Quebecers have opened a window on Romania."