The United Nations has confirmed that several Asian countries have offered to send troops as part of the Lebanon peacekeeping mission.
Earlier, Israel and Lebanon have responded positively to yesterday's decision by European Union countries to provide almost 7,000 troops to the expanded UN peace keeping force for southern Lebanon.
Both countries described the move as an important step.
A senior UN spokesman has said the organisation is now close to achieving firm promises of troops to make up the full peace keeping force for southern Lebanon.
The UN has agreed to deploy a force of up to 15,000 soldiers to maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.
The spokesman, Edward Mortimer, said that significant offers had been made from several Asian countries to add to a promise yesterday of up to 7,000 troops from EU states.
