Douste-Blazy told France Inter radio that he was disappointed that 15-nation crisis talks in Rome failing to call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"We should have called for an immediate end to hostilities," he said, noting "it was unthinkable that an international force can go there before there is a political agreement for a lasting ceasefire."

"If there is an agreement, then France could participate in a multinational force under a UN mandate," Douste-Blazy said.

The mandate of this force is to make sure of the disarmament of the Hezbollah, the deployment of the Lebanese army that will be trained and formed by it and to ensure that the ceasefire will be respected.

"No purely military solution can put an end to the Hezbollah for good," Douste-Blazy said, adding "We don't need the three B's again -- Basra, Baghdad and Beirut."

He hoped Paris would be able to put a plan to the UN Security Council, which is to hold three days of talks from Monday.

France has called for a political agreement between Israel and Lebanon, including a commitment by Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, before the deployment of an international force, but the U.S. is pushing for a rapid deployment of an international force first.

In an interview with French daily Le Monde in its Thursday edition, French President Jacques Chirac proposed a three-step plan: ceasefire, political engagement and from that step sending an international force in place, while ruling out the NATO's taking part in the force.

More than 405 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched a massive land, air and sea offensive on July 12 after the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah.

The French minister also declared that Iran should play a role of stabilization in the region.