France says political agreement necessary before sending troops to Lebanon

France on Tuesday said that the deployment of an international force in Lebanon needs a political agreement beforehand between Israel and Lebanon, including a commitment by Lebanon to disarm the Hezbollah.

"There needs to be a ceasefire beforehand, a defined political framework and a political agreement between the parties. Then after that an international force could be deployed," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said.

One of the components of the agreement would be that "from the Lebanese side there is a commitment to disarm the militia", including Hezbollah, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolution 1559, he said.

He also acknowledged France and the United States did not agree on the order of events.

"The difference is the sequence," he said. "The Americans want to put in place an intervention force very quickly, without a political agreement between the parties.

"This force would have the role of restoring calm but without there necessarily being an agreement on the political basis for a sustainable ceasefire," he added.

Source: Xinhua