Chirac urges EU, not Nato, action on Lebanon

France is ready to send peace-keeping troops to Lebanon but a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah must come first, French president Jacques Chirac has said.

France is cautious over taking on a leading role if Paris is called to help head up an international force deployed in southern Lebanon.

Talking to the French press, Jacques Chirac made it clear that his country’s involvement in any force will depend on progress in political talks.

“France has always assumed its responsibilities in Lebanon. But France's decision to take part in the force will depend on certain conditions,” he told the French newspaper Le Monde.

“We want a cease-fire, political commitment and an international force mandated to enforce, under strict conditions, that policy.”

Chirac rules out the use of Nato to supervise troops in Lebanon, as, he claims, the organisation has a bad image among Arab countries.

"Nato is not cut out for such a force. For technical as well as for political reasons, Nato is not right for that kind of intervention," the French president said.

"Nato is perceived, whether we like it or not, as the West’s military arm, and as a result, in terms of image, Nato is not cut out for this job."

The US idea is to send to Lebanon as soon as possible the Nato’s rapid reaction force under the commandment of Germany, France, Belgium and Spain to enforce a cease fire.

“I believe we need first a cease-fire, then political commitments and only then an international force on the field,” Chirac said.

Because of colonial ties with the Lebanon, France has been at the forefront of the international efforts to evacuate Lebanon and to find a way out to the crisis.

In a letter sent to the Finnish EU presidency, Chirac has called ON the Europe’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana to mount a strong European political initiative.

But Finnish prime minister, Matti Vanhanen replied to Chirac that the priority was to find consensus among UN members.

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