France ready to send 1600 more troops to Lebanon

PARIS - France is ready to send an extra 1600 troops to bolster a revamped United Nations force for Lebanon, President Jacques Chirac said today, bringing the total French contingent there to 2000.

France initially offered only to double its force in Lebanon to 400, disappointing many United Nations' diplomats who had expected Paris to provide the backbone of the mission.

However, France agreed to re-think its troop deployment after winning assurances from the United Nations that the troops would be able to defend themselves fully if they came under attack and could use force to protect civilians.

"Two thousand French troops will thus be placed under the United Nations in Lebanon. France is ready, if the United Nations wishes, to continue commanding this force," Chirac said in a rare televised address today.

Following France's initial, lowkey offer, Italy had stepped up to the plate, promising up to 3000 troops and offering to take command of the delicate operation.

The United Nations has some 2000 soldiers in Lebanon and wants to raise this number to up to 15,000 to police a shaky ceasefire that ended a month of fighting between Israeli forces and Hizbollah guerrillas.

France led calls for a robust international force to safeguard the ceasefire and was heavily criticised abroad for its initial, hesitant approach.

French officials defended their caution, citing previous disastrous peacekeeping missions to Lebanon and Bosnia, where France lost dozens of men and felt hindered by restrictive UN terms of engagement.

"In a situation where everyone is weighing up the difficulty, France will assume its responsibilities in Lebanon," said Chirac.

"This force must be put in place but it must be based on a fair division of the troops. I have spoken to my colleagues to convince them to take on their share," he added.

European Union foreign ministers are due to meet in Brussels tomorrow to discuss their response to the UN operation.

- REUTERS