France hails Lebanese troop offer as 'very important'

WAR.WIRE

France hails Lebanese troop offer as 'very important'
PARIS, Aug 8 (AFP) Aug 08, 2006
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy on Tuesday hailed Beirut's offer to deploy 15,000 troops in south Lebanon as a key development in efforts to end the four-week conflict with Israel.

"This is a very important political step to which France brings its support," Douste-Blazy said ahead of a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora on the sidelines of a UN Security Council debate in New York.

"We need now to look at how this proposal could be implemented," he told France Inter radio.

Douste-Blazy said he would discuss the Lebanese proposal -- described as "interesting" by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert -- in the framework of the Security Council and during talks with Siniora and other Arab ministers.