BRUSSELS (EJP)--- France's announcement that his country is ready to contribute up to 2,000 soldiers and lead the mission of a UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon is likely to pave the way for other EU member states commitments at a meeting in Brussels.

In an apparent change of mind, French President Jacques Chirac made the announcement Thursday night in a televison address.

France's decision followed international criticism for the French initial deployment of just 200 extra troops to Unifil, the UN force in southern Lebanon.

In his address, Chirac said that he had sought and gained "guarantees" and the "necessary clarifications" from the UN about the structure and the mandate.

Israel's governement spokesman, Avi Pazner, called France's decision  "a positive development".

However, the question of leadership of the UN force is still open with both Italy and France bristling about who will take command.

European Union foreign ministers are holding an emergency meeting in Brussels on Friday, in presence of UN secretary general Kofi Annan, to discuss the scope of the European presence in the Lebanon force.

Annan is expected to explain how the UN force in southern Lebanon  will operate.

An EU official told EJP that Annan’s presence is a yet another sign of the UN’s pressure on Europe on this issue.

Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said before the meeting he hoped that the EU would be able to provide up to half of the 15,000 troops foreseen in UN Security Council resolution 1701 which governs the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Tuomioja added: "The main thrust of the force should be there within a few weeks because every day there is a risk that the ceasefire could unravel." 

Finland and the U.N. secretary general insisted the EU’s credibility was at stake.

Eu's role as the global player

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said Thursday he was "confident that Europe will provide the necessary support to expand the Unifil force to help the government of Lebanon extend its control over all Lebanese territory". "It is time for the EU to fulfill its role as the global player that our citizens expect," he added.

Italy has offered up to 3,000 troops and the Belgian government pledged an "important participation" in the force on Friday.

Other countries who are considering partaking in the force include Spain, Greece, Finland, Denmark and Hungary 

Germany has ruled out sending any ground troops to Lebanon for historic reasons.

Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said his country will not offer troops to be stationed near Israel’s border because of Germany’s Nazi-era past. Berlin has said it will only send naval vessels to patrol off Lebanon’s coast and logistics aid.

Many reluctant countries

Many governments have been reluctant to commit troops to a dangerous region and are demanding a clear mandate and precise rules of engagement for the international force.

These are not expected to include mass disarming of Hezbollah but could involve ensuring no arms are smuggled into Lebanon across its borders.

Britain has also decided against sending ground forces and is instead expected to send naval units and air reconnaissance planes.

The pressure has been steadily mounting on Europe since Muslim states like Malaysia are no longer likely to send soldiers. Israel had dismissed Malaysia’s offer to contribute as well as Bangladesh’s and Indonesia’s as the three do not recognise the country.

Israel’s foreign minister Tzipi Livni, who had meetings with French, Belgian and Italian leaders, earlier this week has urged EU member states to overcome their hesitation and put troops into Lebanon as soon as possible to control an "explosive" situation.