A joint proposal made by France and the United States remains the basis for any potential ceasefire in Lebanon, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, adding that the full implementation of UN resolution 1701 was still the goal of diplomatic efforts.
The resolution calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state.
France's top diplomat also said Lebanon must end a two-year vacuum and elect a new president, calling the lack of an elected head of state 'inconceivable.'
"To preserve its unity in the face of challenges, to be represented at the negotiating table in the future, Lebanon must have a head of state," Barrot told a news conference in Paris.