French President Jacques Chirac announced on Thursday night that France will send a total of 2,000 troops for the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. In a nationally televised address, Chirac said France will increase its deployment to 2,000 from an already announced 400 troops, and that he hopes to retain command of the force. He said the United Nations had provided the guarantees France had sought.EU diplomats meeting before foreign minister talks later this week have attempted to draw up a list of troop contingents that member nations could contribute to a strengthened UN force in Lebanon. But most EU nations remain wary of making firm commitments until the mandate for the new force is clarified, fearing that their peacekeepers could be dragged into a conflict with Hizbollah militants or with Israel if the current ceasefire between them collapses.Temu Tanner, ambassador of Finland—which holds the EU’s rotating presidency—said there were no breakthroughs at Wednesday’s preparatory discussions of ambassadors and their deputies at EU headquarters in Brussels. But firm decisions on assembling the force may come as soon as Friday, when EU ministers meet with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Brussels.“We didn’t expect any definitive indications of troop contributions today, but the feeling is now that on Friday the ministers will have a fruitful discussion,” Tanner said.The Finnish Ambassador said the Italians, who have pledged the largest contingent for the force, made a strong appeal for more EU troops on the ground.Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was meeting on Thursday in Rome with her Italian counterpart Massimo D’Alema and Premier Romano Prodi for expected talks about the shaping of the peacekeeping mission, which Italy seems on the verge of leading.Pressure on the Europeans has grown because Israel has rejected offers of participation from Malaysia, Bangladesh and Indonesia—Muslim countries that do not recognise the Jewish state.
