A ceasefire should be the precondition for any consideration of sending international troops to Lebanon, German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said on Tuesday after meeting with his French and Polish counterparts.

"With or without German troops, the question of whether there is a peace mission will only come once there is a ceasefire," Jung said after meeting with Poland's Radek Sikorski and Michele Alliot-Marie of France at the Wieliczka Salt Mine, near the Polish city of Krakow.

The three ministers talked broadly about NATO issues and the current crisis in Lebanon.

Israel, which has launched sustained attacks against the Lebanese militia Hezbollah after it captured two Israeli soldiers on July 12, has suggested it would accept an international force to ensure peace in southern Lebanon.

Source: Xinhua