UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a French general with experience in the Middle East to head a peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, a UN statement said Tuesday. Maj.-Gen. Alain Pellegrini will be replacing Maj.-Gen. Lalit Mohan Tewari of India on February 17, the statement said. Pellegrini, 57, has been the special adviser of the French Chief of Defense Staff on the Middle East and Africa since 2001. He held various military appointments in his country and abroad, mainly in the Middle East and Africa, the statement said. Pellegrini will be commanding the 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon.