France committed to UNIFIL mission

France will not be subject to intimidation or blackmail regarding its troops in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Monday. French sources told the daily: “France is committed to UNIFIL and the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.” They stressed the need for bolstering the cooperation between the Lebanese army and international troops, adding that the French government “is determined to support the army.” Former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius had stressed that his country will maintain its support for UNIFIL. He made his statements during his trip to Lebanon last week where he held talks with a number of Lebanese officials. He added that France will maintain its support to the international force should the French Socialist presidential hopeful Francois Hollande win the French presidential election. On December 9, 2011 a French UNIFIL patrol was the victim of a roadside bomb in the southern city of Sidon. Seven people, including five French soldiers, were wounded in the attack. In July, six French UNIFIL troops were wounded, one of them seriously, in the southern coastal town of Sidon, in an attack similar to the one that took place in December. Beirut - Naharnet