France is to reduce the strength of its U.N. peacekeeping contingent in southern Lebanon by 400, just under a third of its troops there, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

A statement from the ministry said the decision had been taken in agreement with the United Nations and with Lebanon following a strategic review of the mission of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon spokesman Neeraj Singh stated on Monday that the situation in southern Lebanon is calm and stable, reported the National News Agency.

He denied that any unusual activity was taking place in the South, particularly at Kfarkila.

Pro-Syrian Lebanese parties and Palestinian factions are organizing a rally in areas bordering Israel on Earth Day in Lebanon on March 30, al-Liwaa daily reported Friday.

The newspaper said the Baath party and the Syrian Social National Party, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, Fatah al-Intifada and other factions are coordinating to mark Earth Day.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon conducted patrols along the Blue Line at the Wazzani-Ghajar area on Thursday after an Israeli army unit crossed the electronic fence and advanced towards the banks of the Wazzani River.

UNIFIL’s Spanish contingent intensified its patrols in the area and monitored the movement of Israeli troops on the other side of the border, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel called on Friday for producing a new national pact in Lebanon that would place the Lebanese people’s interests above all else.

He said during his ongoing trip to Italy: “A new pact based on the Taef accord should be established.”

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 but hailed the Lebanese government’s efforts to ward off the impact of the upheaval in the neighboring country.

In his latest report on the implementation of resolution 1701, Ban said the Syrian regime’s crackdown on protestors has continued to affect Lebanon, and raised concerns that the unrest could have negative ramifications for the country’s stability.

UNIFIL Commander Maj.-Gen. Paolo Serra said Wednesday a report on the U.N. "strategy" review of the peacekeeping force in Lebanon will likely be issued in mid-March.

In an interview with As Safir daily, Serra said: “I think this mission that started five years ago needs a new strategy and continued renewal because there is an opportunity to make advancements and have better efficiency.”

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly ruled out any intention by the U.N. to set refugee camps for Syrians who have fled to Lebanese border towns or to set up humanitarian corridors through Lebanon.

Plumbly told reporters on Tuesday that he fears the escalating situation in Syria might have repercussions on Lebanon, but the officials he met with since his appointment stressed their keenness to safeguard Lebanon and disassociate it from the developments in the neighboring country.

President Michel Suleiman said Tuesday that Lebanon will exert efforts to restore Syria’s membership in the Arab League whose decisions are respected by Beirut no matter what its stance is.

“No matter what Lebanon’s stance is at Arab League summits, it commits itself to its decisions,” Suleiman said at a joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu in Bucharest.

Rear Admiral Luiz Henrique Caroli handed over on Saturday the command of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Maritime Task Force to Rear Admiral Wagner Lopes de Moraes Zamith aboard the Brazilian Flagship Frigate “UNIĂO.”

“The Lebanese Navy has demonstrated, time and again, its professionalism and outstanding commitment towards securing Lebanese waters,” UNIFIL Commander Maj.-Gen. Paolo Serra said.