A technical meeting held today at the level of ambassadors to prepare the ground

The coming days will be marked by intense diplomatic activity, to set up the Interim Force of the United Nations in the Lebanon, the UNIFIL strengthened, by all necessary and urgent to consolidate the precarious peace that is installed in the South since 14 August Lebanon. "Reverse" of the France, which has so far announced the additional participation of 200 soldiers, has disappointed expectations. It is widely criticized in the United Nations, and the doubts are exposed on its desire to participate in the peace-keeping force. In Paris, it argued that the French forces are the only ones to be already on the ground, and it wondered about the absence of a contribution of all the other permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Pressed by time, UN, US and Israel quickly mobilized to find an alternative to a French command of UNIFIL. Monday evening, the President of the Italian Council, Romano Prodi, announced "the Italian availability to order the Lebanon of the UN mission", announcing that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, claimed this event. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Massimo D'Alema, confirmed yesterday to the daily "La Repubblica" that Rome would be willing to send between 2,000 and 3,000 men, which, according to him, the third European expected downsizing. A dozen countries have announced their participation in the force, but without great detail: the France, the Italy but also the Spain, the Finland, the Denmark, the Lithuania, the Germany, the Belgium, the Greece and the Portugal. But many, such as the Germany, will only send equipment and others, a small number of men. In any event, the European countries, France and Italy in mind, refuse to go without more details on the mission of the reinforced UNIFIL and means which will have their troops. "The Italy can only send soldiers if IDF continues to draw", thus emphasized yesterday Massimo D'Alema. He also requested that a second UN resolution, which precisely specify the mission of UNIFIL and give clear rules of engagement of foreign troops. Key issues include the role of the interim force the arming of Hezbollah and its ability of retaliation for the Israeli army or the Shiite militia offensive. To avert any risk of isolation and provide if possible a mandate of the European Union, the Italy had requested a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Union.

Angela Merkel in Paris

The Finland, presiding from July 1, the European Union, confirmed yesterday the holding of this meeting, Friday, in Brussels, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. A technical meeting held today at the level of ambassadors to prepare the ground. Then, the head of the Finnish diplomacy, Erkki Tuomioja, visit tomorrow, in Berlin and Paris, while that Friday German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet in Paris President Jacques Chirac for an informal summit dedicated to the Lebanon. The two leaders were maintained by telephone last Friday and Jacques Chirac had asked on that occasion a "balance" in the distribution of the participating contingents to UNIFIL. The Germany has warned that it would not ground troops send to the Lebanon but could put vessels and logistics forces in the service of the United Nations. According to the Italian Agency Ansa, Berlin would, through the Minister of defence, Franz Josef Jung, encouraged the Italy to move forward and take the conduct of UNIFIL.