Useless

France, which had said it would take the lead in providing a stabilization force in southern Lebanon, is now offering a mere 400 troops. From the AP:

PARIS, France (AP) -- French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie on Friday defended France's decision to send just 200 additional troops to reinforce the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon and reiterated that the force needs a clear mandate to operate effectively.

"I can't let it be said or implied that France is not doing its duty in the Lebanese crisis," the minister told French radio RTL in an interview.

"Since the start of the crisis, France is on the frontline and it is the top contributor."

Um, bullshit. It can and must be said that France is doing as little as possible in the Lebanese crisis. 400 soldiers is a drop in the bucket for a force that the U.N. (also useless) wants to be in excess of 15,000. With this contribution, I think it would be fool-hardy to put any faith in the cease-fire holding. The French have once again proven that, aside from capitulation, they cannot be counted on to do anything right.