France to send 1,600 to Lebanon
France will contribute an extra two battalions — 1,600 soldiers — to a United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon and is willing to lead it, President Jacques Chirac said on national television late today.Chirac said he has received enough guarantees about the role of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon in creating a buffer between Hezbollah and Israel to overcome earlier hesitations. The French contingent within Unifil will have “free circulation” and “capabilities when faced with eventual hostilities,” he said.
The French government had sent conflicting signals about its willingness to send its soldiers to keep the peace in southern Lebanon after a month of fighting between Israel and the militia of Shiite Hezbollah. The government first said it was willing to lead the multinational force and then stalled while it awaited details on Unifil’s mandate.
This is good news. I remain very doubtful that the international force will be willing to do what is necessary to allow Lebanon to fully control all of it’s territory, but I certainly hope to be proven wrong. France being willing to send a signifigant number of troops after all certainly increases the odds.
I certainly wish them the best.
