France urges swift Lebanese deployment

PARIS, Aug 15 (Reuters) France today urged Lebanon to send its forces to the south of the country as fast as possible today, and said Hizbollah should withdraw to the north to help shore up a United Nations-brokered ceasefire with Israel.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he would visit Beirut tomorrow to discuss the deployment of a beefed up UN force in Lebanon, which is expected to keep the peace after a month-long war between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas.

The UN Security Council on Friday authorized up to 15,000 troops for the force, which is known as UNIFIL and which France is expected to lead.

''Diplomacy was very active concerning the vote of the (U.N.) resolution. Now diplomacy has got to be mobilised on the ground to see that the (resolution) is respected by all the parties and governments involved,'' Douste-Blazy told French television.

''First one has to deploy the Lebanese army to the south with the support of UNIFIL, and afterwards (there has to be a) withdrawal of the Israelis,'' he told the France 2 channel.

A spokesman later quoted Douste-Blazy as saying Hizbollah also had to withdraw to the north of the Litani River, away from Israel, and had to disarm.

''Time is pressing for a double movement,'' the minister said.

Israel has said it will not withdraw fully until the strengthened U.N. force and Lebanese army troops deploy south.

Douste-Blazy refused to discuss the eventual make-up of the U.N. force and declined to say whether France would take overall command, saying Paris was waiting for the United Nations to define the operation.

French media has reported that France was ready to commit some 2,000 troops to UNIFIL.

Although he declined to predict the size of any French contingent, Douste-Blazy said some 1,700 French troops were still deployed off Lebanon after helping with the mass evacuation of foreigners fleeing the fighting.

A further 200 were already attached to UNIFIL, he added.

REUTERS KD PC1845