BEIRUT: French Foreign Ministry official Nicolas de Riviere will arrive in Lebanon Monday to discuss a possible reduction of UNIFIL troops, reported Al-Liwaa newspaper Saturday.

Riviere is expected to discuss the mandate of UNIFIL and might announce a reduction in French troops. However, France is still committed to security in the south, al-Liwaa cited ministry sources as saying.

A roadside bomb attack near Tyre last Friday wounded five French UNIFIL peacekeepers.

The attack, the second on the French contingent and third against UNIFIL this year, prompted speculation that France might downsize the number of troops in the international forces, especially after French President Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to trim the contingent following a similar July attack in Sidon.

The U.N. Security Council is currently preparing a strategic overview of UNIFIL following which participating countries, including France, are said to be making a decision regarding their troops’ role in the forces.