 France and Turkey's top diplomats held talks with officials here Wednesday on the deployment of international troops in south Lebanon as a huge rebuilding effort was underway and a fragile truce appeared to be holding. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, whose country is expected to lead the international force to shore up the UN-brokered truce, said Paris was willing to contribute troops but first wanted the Lebanese army to deploy. "France is ready to participate in a strengthened UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon), but the Lebanese army should deploy in southern Lebanon first," he said after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Sallukh."After you, monsieur."
"No, effendi, I won't hear of it. Please, you first." |
France is also seeking guarantees on Hezbollah disarmament before moving in. UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which led to the ceasefire, stipulates that Lebanese and UNIFIL troops should deploy simultaneously. Hedi Annabi, the UN assistant secretary general for peacekeeping operations, said a quick deployment was needed to beef up the existing UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on Friday. "We would like to see 3,000 to 3,500 troops within 10 days to two weeks," Annabi told reporters at UN headquarters. The resolution mandates that the multinational UNIFIL will swell from its current level of 1,990 troops to 15,000. No precise timetable has been set for the deployment of the force, which is thought likely to include contingents from France, Italy, Malaysia, Belgium and another half-dozen countries. |