French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy will leave on Tuesday for Lebanon for talks on plans for a beefed-up U.N. force and aiding people displaced by fighting, his ministry said. Douste-Blazy will likely stop first in Cyprus, which has been the hub for evacuations from Lebanon, and then head to Lebanon itself, the foreign ministry said in a statement. He and Lebanese officials will discuss «conditions for the deployment of a reinforced UNIFIL,» reopening ports and airports, and how best to distribute humanitarian aid, especially to displaced populations, the Associated Press quoted the statement as saying. France _ which played a key role in the diplomatic effort that led to this week's cease-fire and paved the way for the stronger U.N. peacekeeping force _ is pushing on several fronts to strengthen UNIFIL as soon as possible.
