There is no doubt that Lebanon was a top priority in the bilateral talks between US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande as the latter began a state visit to Washington Feb. 10. This is not surprising since the Lebanese file has become part of the Syrian file, which is grabbing all the attention and most diplomatic efforts.

The links between the Lebanese arena and events in Syria are clear to all. Hezbollah’s fighting in Syria has brought down the Lebanese government, paralyzed its institutions and is now making a presidential vacuum likely. Even more seriously, Hezbollah’s intervention has added to the war's sectarian dimensions.

Syria is now a magnet for religious extremists as well as the scene of violence and terrorism. The fire of civil strife has now undone Lebanon’s fragile stability. Successive explosions have hit residential neighborhoods, and Lebanese diplomats and political leaders have been assassinated, most recently Mohammed Chatah on Dec. 27. The language of killing and counterkilling is now prevalent in Lebanon. The same is true of Iraq, and it may spread to other parts of the region.

Obama and Hollande are aware of this last possibility, but have the same objective — to maintain stability in the Middle East, the world’s primary oil reservoir. Both have said that it is necessary to fight terrorism and prevent the growth of religious fundamentalism. It is true that US and French policies in the Middle East do not entirely match and that the two recently further diverged. It is also true, however, that a French-US partnership exists in several areas, most notably in supporting the Syrian moderate opposition and in tirelessly working to protect Lebanon from the conflict in Syria. This was expressed by Obama and Hollande in an article they co-signed in the Feb. 10 Washington Post.