
According to the pan-Arab newspaper Alhayat, when it comes to the upcoming presidential elections, France is more cautious and America is more confrontational:
Translation (mine)
Sources in Paris told Alhayat that there’s a difference in opinion between the US and France with regards to diagnosing the situation in Lebanon, especially when it comes to the presidency. The sources in the Quai d’Orsay are worried about a potential confrontation and about the perils of forming two governments, while it seems that the Americans are more ready to support March 14 to impose their candidate.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I blog in The Beirut Spring about Lebanese society and politics. I started in February 2005 after the killing of P.M. Rafik Hariri.

[...] By keeping his silence (although he’s not distancing himself too much as his media still showcases Jumblat’s and Geagea’s statements), Hariri might be trying to prepare the grounds for a Saudi-Style compromise (which proved disastrous in the case of Palestine). Seniora’s statements in defense of Hezbollah against the Human Rights Watch yesterday point in that direction, and even the French now seem to prefer compromise. [...]
it seems like Sarkozy’s route to supporting Bush seems out of line here,
and what about his views towards Israel? He is half Jewish,
nevertheless, if the US is pushing for a canidate, it may seem harder to get out of this mess…
[...] • In March, I wrote a post endorsing Mr. Sarkozy for the French presidency • But I later noticed that Sarkozy’s France is misguided on Syria • Recently, I was startled at how naive Mr. Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister, seems to be on Lebanon • I had noted that big carrots, like those France are offering, are not what Syria needed. [...]