Esclarecedor

EU seeks troops for Mideast peacekeeping

EU countries agree that the strengthened U.N. force will not forcibly disarm the militia but merely oversee a political solution that would induce Hezbollah to turn in its weapons.

"Nobody wants to be saddled with the task that the Israeli military failed to achieve in a month of intense combat," said a European diplomat who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The Europeans also have bitter memories of their troops being killed or humiliated while serving under weak U.N. mandates in Rwanda and the Balkans and are insisting robust rules before committing forces.

France, which has disappointed some by offering only 200 troops to double its contribution to the existing U.N. force in Lebanon, is particularly sensitive to any fatalities.