France ready to lead new Lebanon force -- minister

PARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) France is willing to lead a new UN force in Lebanon at least until February, so long as it is given a clear mandate and sufficient powers, Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said today.

Alliot-Marie told French television she hoped a large number of European and Muslim countries would take part in the beefed-up U.N.

Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), but said the United Nations still needed to define the operation.

''We already have the command (of UNIFIL) and we are ready to continue to do this until next February including for the enlarged UNIFIL,'' she told France 2 television.

France already has about 200 troops in UNIFIL, but Alliot-Marie refused to say how many soldiers she was ready to commit without receiving further information.

''Sadly, all too often, the United Nations forces don't have the power mission that they asked for,'' she said.

''I believe it is the responsibility of all those concerned on both a national and international level, when you give a difficult mission to the military to obtain for them also the necessary material and juridical means,'' she added.

The present strength of UNIFIL is about 2,000 troops.

The UN Security Council on Friday authorised up to 15,000 soldiers for the force to help keep the peace between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas after a month of fighting in Lebanon.

REUTERS PDS PM0038