PARIS (KUNA) -- French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie met here for talks Monday with her Lebanese counterpart, Elias Murr, to discuss the situation in Lebanon and joint cooperation, Defence Ministry sources said.

The official talks were programmed but took place during a "private visit" here by Murr, one diplomat told KUNA.

No information on the content of the discussions was officially revealed afterwards, but diplomats said the situation in south Lebanon and the recent clashes between Lebanese and Israeli forces after Israel violated the border was on the agenda.

Murr expressed thanks for the French role in southern Lebanon and hopes for ongoing cooperation between the two sides.

France, which has just over 1,600 troops serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), has committed troops on the Israeli-Lebanese border to act as a sort of buffer between the two sides and prevent further incidents. But the French are also helping support the Lebanese army as it seeks to extend its authority over the south of the country.

During their almost one hour of discussions, some of which was in private session, Alliot-Marie and Murr also reviewed potential cooperation between the French and Lebanese military, whereby France has offered training on specific materiel for Lebanons army.

Diplomats recalled here that there have always been military cooperation programs between the two nations and the objective was training in addition to a French offer to supply certain military equipment to Lebanons army.