Pietton Says Paris Has No Desire to Lead UNIFIL, France Committed to 1701

French ambassador Denis Pietton stressed that his country didn’t reject leading the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which undergoes a rotation principle between the three European countries that have the wider participation in it.

“We are satisfied with the amount of our participation in the UNIFIL, but we didn’t reveal any desire to command” the peacekeeping forces, Pietton said in an interview with As Safir newspaper published on Friday.

He noted that the UNIFIL command undergoes rotation as a French General led the mission after 2006 followed by an Italian General and a Spanish one and in the future an Italian will command the peacekeepers again.

Last week, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that France has renounced leading the UNIFIL fearing that its contingent would be a possible target of attacks if the situation on the border deteriorated.

On July 26, 2011, a roadside bomb hit a French convoy in the southern city of Sidon, wounding five French peacekeepers.

“We are committed to the implementation of resolution 1701,” the ambassador stressed.

Asked about the situation of Christians in Lebanon amid fears that extremists might rule Syria if President Bashar Assad’s regime collapses, Pietton said that any power transfer should respect minorities.

“It’s important that we preserve diversity, pluralism and respect for others,” the diplomat said.

Pietton expressed fear over the spill of the Syrian turmoil into Lebanon, saying: “We are worried. Dramatic events in a neighboring country to Lebanon that is linked to it with cultural and economy relations might affect it.”

Concerning the Lebanese banking sector, he stated that “the Lebanese banks have a clear, realistic approach regarding this issue.”

Pietton denied media reports saying that France is training members of the “Free Syrian Army” in Turkey and northern Lebanon.

“We support the Syrian opposition’s peaceful protests… these reports are untrue,” he stressed.