PARIS, July 25, 2006 (AFP) - France on Tuesday demanded a political agreement between Israel and Lebanon, including a commitment by Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, before the deployment of an international force in the region.
Outlining France's position, foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei acknowledged that Paris was at odds with the United States on some points of its strategy, notably the necessary order of events and its view on prisoner exchanges.
"There needs to be a ceasefire beforehand, a defined political framework and a political agreement between the parties. Then after that an international force could be deployed," Mattei said.
Part of the agreement would be that "from the Lebanese side there is a commitment to disarm the militia", including Hezbollah, following United Nations Security Council resolution 1559.
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