France has conditions for Lebanon force

PARIS, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The French government is holding off on committing a significant number of U.N. peacekeepers to Lebanon until rules of engagement are clarified.

French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told state television the 4-day-old cease-fire that stopped a month of fighting between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israeli forces had uncertain wording on the disarmament of militants and she wanted clarification before committing troops.

"When you send in a force and its mission is not precise enough, and its resources are not well adapted or large enough, that can turn into a catastrophe, including for the solders that we send," she said.

The multinational UNIFIL force already in place has about 2,000 soldiers, and the United Nations wants that increased to 15,000, with an equal number of Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon, The Independent reported.

Wednesday, the Israeli chief of staff, Dan Halutz, warned the military would cease its withdrawal from southern Lebanon if the Lebanese army was not deployed there rapidly.