PARIS - French President Jacques Chirac attacked Syria harshly Wednesday at his meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Chirac called Syria a "threat to the stability of the region," and told Sharon that he had "great concerns about the Syrians. Their psychology cannot be comprehended."

The situation in Lebanon and Syria was the focus of the Sharon-Chirac working lunch, which lasted two and a half hours. Sharon asked France to exert its influence in Lebanon, to prevent clashes along the northern border while the disengagement plan is underway. He warned that Iran may push Hezbollah to take action against Israel.

Chirac responded: "The Lebanese government does not control Hezbollah, and we do not believe that the one interested in escalation is Iran, but rather Syria." In Chirac's view, Iran is currently engaged in dialogue with the international community over its nuclear program, and is not interested in opening another front. Syria, on the other hand, is subject to heavy pressure, and "could fire in every direction."

Sharon spoke at the meeting about the need to fully implement Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarming the Lebanese militias. "It is impossible for a democratic government to have a party that bears arms," Sharon said. "Hezbollah forces are deployed all along Israel's northern border, and the Lebanese army is only positioned behind them."

Chirac said that Resolution 1559 should be implemented to the letter, but disagreed with Sharon's approach, saying that Hezbollah plays "a stabilizing role" in Lebanon today. Chirac spoke with pride about the central role France played in the build-up to the elections in Lebanon.

Israeli-Palestinian relations hardly came up in the meeting, Israeli participants said. Based on a prior understanding, the French avoided controversial issues, such as construction in West Bank settlements, the location of the separation fence, and the "day after" the disengagement.

Chirac praised Sharon for his courage and expressed understanding for his political difficulties: "We know your situation within your party, and this has increased our admiration for your political courage." Sharon: "I concluded that disengagement would be good for Israel, and I will carry it out on August 15. You must know, that if the Palestinians fire during the disengagement, our reaction will be exceedingly harsh."

Chirac spoke of the need to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, in response to Hamas' growing popularity. He said that the U.S. government had asked him to bring up the issue of strengthening Abbas' "defenseless" security forces with Sharon. Chirac asked that Israel allow France to supply the Palestinian forces with ammunition.

Sharon, who had heard the request from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at Sycamore Ranch last Friday, rejected it again in Chirac's presence: "On Saturday an Israeli couple was murdered (near Kissufim) and one of the assailants was a uniformed Palestinian policeman. Why should we give him ammunition? They have ample ammunition. Perhaps not Nasser Yousef [the PA interior minister], but let them collect it from other quarters." Sharon said that Abbas has 60,000 arms-bearing men, "but most of them are disloyal and do not obey him. He can make do with 5,000 to 10,000 loyal soldiers." Chirac: "I completely agree."

Sharon was received at the Elysee Palace with an honor guard of swordsmen, and Chirac met him in the palace's inner courtyard. The two exchanged friendly greetings, demonstrating the "new leaf" in relations between the two leaders. Chirac spoke of his "determination to fight the scourges of terror and anti-Semitism," and called the disengagement an "historic opportunity" to advance the peace process, but also spoke of the need for a "viable Palestinian state." Sharon called his host one of the world's greatest leaders, praising him for his "resolute battle against anti-Semitism."

At the work meeting Sharon repeated the basic elements of his policy, explaining that the main problems was the refusal of the Arabs to recognize "the innate right" of the Jewish people to establish a state in its "cradle of birth," which required that Israel act with great caution. He spoke of his readiness to make concessions, but not at the expense of security. "Only Israel will decide its security needs," Sharon said.