AP, Romania's decision to invite Lebanon's prime minister to the Francophone Summit but exclude its president has sparked a diplomatic flap with France, which has supported the snub. It is the third time in 10 months that Lebanon has found its prime minister to be more acceptable at international meetings than its president, who is seen as having been imposed on Lebanon by Syrian influence.
Lebanon will boycott the Francophone Summit, scheduled to be held in Bucharest in September, if its president is not invited, the office of President Emile Lahoud said Wednesday.
"It is really astonishing for the French state to adopt this position," the president's office said in a statement late Tuesday. "It regrettably confirms the information about direct interference by French President Jacques Chirac." Chirac is known to be at odds with Lahoud and was close to the Lebanese leader's political rival, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in February last year.

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Beirut is shaking off its war- torn past to recreate itself, writes Emma Levine. Beirut drivers have a dreadful reputation, even in the context of the Middle East. For every screech of wheels taking a corner too fast, there are a dozen cases of reckless lane swapping. Crossing the road is a visitor's main challenge.

I am introduced to highway code, Lebanon-style, while squeezed in the back of a taxi with two large women. From the chic designer-boutique area of Verdun, we weave a few kilometers northeast along the Corniche, the Mediterranean promenade, to the central district known as downtown. The ride is a medley of contrasting sights: half-destroyed buildings, their walls peppered with huge bullet holes struggle to stay up; adjacent are their pristine neighbors, the sheen of newly built high-rise towers. Scattered around the area are numerous cranes and building sites. Palm trees fringe the roads in between.

Beirut as a holiday resort might not sound so appealing but this once- popular destination is desperately trying to shake off its war-battered image. A huge rebuilding project, one of the world's largest, has been transforming the city center, but officials and locals don't want tourists to have to wait the 20 years it's likely to complete. The mood is buoyant, hefty investment by wealthy Lebanese expatriates indicates optimism for the future and the number of new hotels, shopping and dining areas is increasing. Beirut is definitely making a welcome return to the tourist map.