ROME, Aug 24: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Thursday that an enlarged UN force in southern Lebanon should be deployed as soon as possible to help defuse an ‘explosive’ situation on the ground.

“The international community should intervene as quickly as possible in Lebanon to enter into the second phase called for by (UN Security Council) Resolution 1701,” Ms Livni said on Italian television channel TG 24.

Ms Livni was in Italy for meetings with his Italian counterpart Massimo D’Alema and Prime Minister Romano Prodi on the eve of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels to discuss contributions and the role of the enlarged UNIFIL force.

At a news conference in Rome with Mr D’Alema, Ms Livni said the enlarged UNIFIL deployment was ‘a window of opportunity’ for the whole region.

She said she expected ‘other countries to follow the example of Italy’, which has promised around 3,000 troops.

Italy on Monday also said it was willing to assume command of the UN force if France, which had originally been expected to lead the operation, fails to contribute significant numbers of troops to the expanded UNIFIL.

Ms Livni added that three conditions were still unfulfilled: the unconditional freeing of Israeli soldiers kidnapped in Lebanon, the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south of the country and an embargo on arms destined for Hezbollah.

The minister said that Hezbollah could play a role in Lebanese politics once it has disarmed.—AFP