However, Syria has recently sought to convey the impression that it respects Lebanese sovereignty and independence, and in October last year it agreed to establish formal diplomatic relations for the first time since the two former French Mandate territories became independent in the 1940s.

ECONOMIST: The road to Damascus

That agreement was superceded by another which established a mandate system of French and British control, sanctioned by the new League of Nations.

NPR: The Middle East and the West: WWI and Beyond

He will - in the most diplomatic way - tell her that the French people have given him a mandate to make growth his priority.

BBC: Growth versus austerity

France is eager to hand the lead to the Africans as soon as possible, although the country's UN Ambassador Gerard Araud has acknowledged there are "questions" about how the shift from a French emergency operation to a UN mandate will take place.

BBC: Mali conflict: Rewriting the UN's best made plans

More recently, French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled a plan that would mandate country-wide ISP filtering of copyright infringing content.

BBC: A padlock and key

Under the mandate system, Syria and Lebanon went to the French.

NPR: The Middle East and the West: WWI and Beyond

The French created, created mind you, Lebanon and Syria out of their mandate.

FORBES: My Family In Israel: One Direct Hit, Two Near Misses -- And The Brainwashing Behind The Rockets

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin argues that any force operating without a U.N. mandate will do so in a legal vacuum.

CNN: Analysis: Battles ahead over U.N. role

The French will provide most of the troops for a 1, 400-strong peacemaking force with a weak mandate.

ECONOMIST: Losing the way