TYRE, Lebanon - Hezbollah said Saturday it would have no problem with UN peacekeepers as long as they stick to defending Lebanon against Israel, two days after the French general who leads the troops hinted they would disarm the Shiite group if the Lebanese army does not.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon "is here to protect the Lebanese and Lebanon's sovereignty, and we want its mandate limited to that," in which case there "will be no problems," Nabil Qaouk, the group's chief in the south, told AFP.

"We want the new UNIFIL to do its work in conformity with" UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which led to an August 14 truce in the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

"Israel is seeking to have this force play a new role, in other words, to place it under its control," Qaouk said. "We hope that Europe and the French will not be under American control and will be the closest friends of the Lebanese and the Arab world."

More than 7,000 troops from EU countries will make up the backbone of an expanded UNIFIL presence in Lebanon, which is due to total up to 15,000. Under Resolution 1701, they are deploying in south Lebanon, along with an equal number of Lebanese troops, as Israel progressively withdraws from the country.

Resolution 1701 calls for establishing "an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL" between the Israeli border and the Litani River, a strategic waterway that runs between five and 30 kilometres (three and 19 miles) north of the border.

It stipulates that UNIFIL should "assist the Lebanese armed forces" in achieving that.

In part, this is an allusion to Hezbollah, which precipitated the war by capturing two Israeli soldiers in a July 12 cross-border raid. Israel launched the war with two objectives -- to free the soldiers and to eliminate Hezbollah's ability to attack it from southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has agreed to abide by the ceasefire, but has resolutely refused to lay down its arms until it is satisfied that Israel has ended its occupation of Lebanese territory.

Its chief, Hassan Nasrallah, said this week that his forces are present "in the whole south of Lebanon" and that nobody "can prevent us from being present on our territory or from defending our territory, our honour and our homeland."

But in an interview Thursday in the French daily La Croix, General Alain Pellegrini said UNIFIL would act on its own if necessary.

"If the (Lebanese army) fails to act, we must assume our responsibilities as a UN force," he said. "Someone will have to intervene, with all the consequences that this might have for the Lebanese authorities."

Resolution 1701 does not spell out how south Lebanon should be freed of illicit arms, but says UNIFIL should "assist the Lebanese armed forces in taking steps towards" that end.

It also builds on the foundations of Resolution 1559, adopted in late 2004, and 1655, adopted in January.

The first called for the "disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias," and the second reiterated its its call on the government of Lebanon to "fully extend and exercise its sole and effective authority throughout the south."

As the debate grew over what UNIFIL should be doing, Lebanese troops continued their deployment in the south on Saturday, a Lebanese military spokesman said.

An unspecified number of troops were taking up positions in the Mediterranean coastal town of Naqura, where the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) is headquartered.

Another 400 men, backed by a dozen tanks, were deploying in Aita ash-Shaab, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) inland and just one kilometre (half a mile) from the Israeli border. Soldiers were also preparing to enter six other villages evacuated by Israeli troops under the terms of the truce.

Israel has said it will complete its withdrawal once there are at least 5,000 UNIFIL troops on the ground. According to an AFP count, there are about 4,500 of them in the country now.

Hezbollah has said, however, that its definition of withdrawal will include the Shebaa Farms, a small but strategic patch of land at the juncture of Lebanon, Israel and Syria.

The Jewish state captured the area from Syria in 1967, and Beirut now claims it with the consent of Damascus.

Resolution 1701 calls for steps to be taken to resolve the issue.

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