'Clarify' contribution to Lebanon force

Paris, which has come under criticism for sending just 200 soldiers to the expanded UN deployment, urged its partners to show "European solidarity".

Douste-Blazy said he had asked current EU president Finland to organise a meeting in the coming week to discuss the issue.

"I have just asked the Finnish Foreign Minister, Erkki Tuomioja, for a meeting so the different European countries can clarify their contributions to the reinforced Unifil (UN Interim Force in Lebanon)," he said.

"This meeting should take place at the beginning of the week."

France and other countries that have offered to contribute troops are consulting with the United Nations on the details of the deployment.

"We want to obtain guarantees from the United Nations," Douste-Blazy said. In particular "to whom does the Unifil command report? What is the force's freedom to react?"

The expanded Unifil was agreed under UN resolution 1701 just over a week ago.