France to head new Lebanon force

France has agreed to head an expanded UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon until February, the defence minister says.

Intense negotiations have been going on at the UN and in Beirut to build an advance force of up to 3,500 soldiers, to be deployed within two weeks.

The UN has the following objectives:

1. A withdrawal by Israeli forces back into Israel
2. The insertion of a 15,000-strong Lebanese army contingent down to the border
3. The expansion of the 2,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon (Unifil) into an more powerful international force of up to 15,000 troops
4. The removal from southern Lebanon of Hezbollah as an armed force