Israel has suggested it would prefer a NATO-led coalition in Lebanon, not the traditional UN peacekeeping force that has tried but failed to bring peace to Lebanon over the last three decades.
France has said a multinational force should be placed under United Nations authority.
Chirac's comments were published as officials from the United States, Europe and several Arab nations met in Rome to try to agree on a plan for ending more than two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hizbullah guerillas.
Meanwhile, Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Wednesday that without Israel, there would be no bilateral solution to the Middle East crisis. Peres made his remarks in response to the fact that Israel was not represented at the Rome conference.