All due respect to the Italians and thank you for your willingness, but this sounds like a suicide mission. The UN has now told them they are to be road builders and laborers. Will they do windows too?

The whole idea of having foreign troops operating in a sovereign territory is ludicrous. Lebanon will NEVER accept that they should disarm anybody. It will NEVER accept that they should fire on anybody. The UN Resolution 1701 gives Lbebanon such choices, any way. One can understand Prime Ministaer Olmert eagerness to change the mandate of UNFIL, but it is not going to happen, and the US is unlikely to want, or able to make it happen. As far as the US is concerned, it gave Israel all the time it needed to get rid of Hizbullah. Israel failed to do so. THe US administration cannot see any other way. Itr certainly does not beleive that 2000 Italian troops are likely to frighten Hizbullah... It wasn't frigtened from the Israeli wallahs... right? NC.

Maybe I've missed something but surely any mediating force first and foremost must have the latest anti aircraft missiles in order to protect the Lebanese people. We have seen the damage caused by Israel's bombing so any logical person would first try and prevent a reoccurence.

hizbullah will remind the UN what they have done in the past to forces that get in their way. and being UN patsies, they will (like the lebanese people) roll over and even support whatever hizbullah does. in other words, they will all be human shields - more skirts for brave islamist fighters to hide behind.

they never do, Hezbollah are hidden and they fit in with the crowd, u wouldnt know who is a Hezbollah and who is not.

Well done! Hizbullah are either innocent peaceful citizens in your heart or you have been totally dhimmyised. Shame on you for placing guilt on a legitimate sovereign state whose sovereignty was infringed by the Lebanese government's tacit approval or at best powerlesness to act. Israel is not alone in facing the threat from radical islamofascists. One day you will also wake up.

If Olmert is scared of Hizboulla and eager to have the UN troops , why do not they go to Israel instead of Lebanon ? after all Israel is the one who needs them to guard their boarders not Lebanon!!! You need them , you take them

Can we not have retirees manning the outposts please.

I hope France will avoid to spend other time trying to convince all the world that with 200 soldiers they have the right to lead the UN Forces in lebanon. I hope Italy will reply positively to the friendly Israelian proposal to send our soldiers under the UN flag and do the job they are able to do better than the French, as they did in the previous missions. It is incredible how the French people and politicians want to command, to demonstrate their supremacy and not to help using all the best intentions, sooner as the situation is asking. It is really a pity that a member of the permanent conseil of security of the United Nation is always able to avoid engagements, to be against the USA decisions and to create fractures inside Europe. Everytime the same movie. Italy MUST help the Isaely friends, for all the free people, for the free world. God bless Israel, we are with you. A free Christian from Italy.

How about the UN protect Lebanese sovereignty in the air and against landings? Will this international force do that? No. It's basically a police force so that Israel can feel better about itself. If these guys get in the way of Huzb Allah they will be forced out and rightfuly so...

...is that with official military deployment, anyone carrying weapons will have to have stolen a uniform to "blend in".

given the UN logic, would that really be a surprise headline?

The French really are a bunch of lying cowards. As for Italy, bravo! However, I think you are going to need alot more troops.

Too busy appeasing the muslems under the Eiffel Tower. Shame on you France. You are not anwhere near the same league as the Italians. When aye you going to grow a spine? French Jellyfish.