French defence minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, on Friday defended her country’s decision to commit only 200 additional troops to the United Nations peace-keeping force in Lebanon.

“I can’t let it be said or implied that France is not doing its duty in the Lebanese crisis,” Ms Alliot-Marie said in an interview on French radio RTL. The minister insisted troops for the expanded UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, should come from a great number of countries, both in Europe and the Muslim world.