Today's Date:

THE MINISTER – Firstly, we’re also talking to the other Security Council partners about this resolution, which we’re putting forward with the Americans. As I speak, the vast majority of the 15 Security Council member countries agree with this resolution.

Indeed, the fact remains that the Lebanese government, and also the Arab League, whose member countries’ foreign ministers met in Beirut today, consider that we can go still further and flesh out this text. So we’re saying to the Americans: “let’s not present this resolution until we’ve taken into consideration the amendments put forward by the Lebanese government and Arab League”.

THE MINISTER – Yes, of course, with the Americans – with Condoleezza Rice – but also with the Israelis, the Lebanese – the Lebanese Prime Minister – and the various foreign ministers, whom I continually talk to on the phone.

There is, as you said, the Israeli forces’ withdrawal from southern Lebanon and a more specific reference to the Shebaa farms. We think we can go further. This evening there was a major political development: the Lebanese government said for the first time since 2000 that it was ready to deploy the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon, in accordance with UNSCR 1559, which we co-wrote with the Americans: i.e. the disarmament of Hezbollah and full Lebanese government sovereignty over the whole of Lebanon with the support of the Lebanese army.

THE MINISTER – France is – because this is what President Chirac wanted – ensuring the balance between, on one side, the moderate Arab countries, and, on the other, Israel and the Americans. Why this balance? Because we need a strong Lebanese State. We need Lebanon's sovereignty. We have to help Fouad Siniora, the Lebanese Prime Minister.

We immediately asserted the need for a specific diplomatic timetable. First of all, hostilities must be stopped as quickly as possible – time is short – by referring the matter to the Security Council, in agreement with the other members.

Secondly, let's find the terms of a political agreement which will allow a sustainable ceasefire. Finally, solely after the sustainable ceasefire, let's envisage deployment of an international force.

THE MINISTER – President Chirac immediately laid down the ground rules. First of all, a political agreement, as I said to you just now, which allows a sustainable ceasefire. Secondly, if the conditions for a sustainable ceasefire are obtained – we're working on them at the moment – it will be up to President Chirac to decide whether or not France is to participate in this international force. Such a deployment will in any case have to be under UN mandate.

As regards the political conditions for a sustainable ceasefire, let me say to you, we have to go back to the issue of the Shebaa farms – either in the text of the resolution we were talking about just now, or in an appended document. Why not propose, in an initial phase, placing this territory under UN trusteeship before it returns to Lebanon. We also have to talk about the displaced people who should return to southern Lebanon – there are a million displaced people – and put an end to the sea and air blockade.

Once these political conditions have been obtained, we’ll indeed be able to envisage an international force.

THE MINISTER – Yes, but a word of warning, this international force mustn't be deployed to do the job which the Israeli army isn't succeeding in doing today.

We think that Israel has an inalienable right: the right to security. So she has to be helped, but we don't believe in a purely military solution for disarming Hezbollah: there has to be a political solution. This is why we are totally supporting the Lebanese government's proposal to deploy the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon. We totally support this idea because once this is the case, Hezbollah can be disarmed by the Lebanese themselves, in an intra-Lebanese political framework: the national dialogue.

Under those conditions, an international force can be deployed./.