PARIS - France is hoping that a meeting on Thursday of some 70 delegations to support Lebanon will raise about 500 million euros ($540 million) in humanitarian aid, according to a foreign ministry framework document for the conference.

       "This conference aims to lead to concrete initiatives for the country, notably on the humanitarian side for which France has set an ambitious objective for international support at around 500 million euros for Lebanon," the document said.

       It said the aid would primarily help displaced people in sectors ranging from health, food, water, hygiene and education.

       Lebanon says it needs $250 million a month to deal with the crisis that has displaced between 500,000-1 million people from southern Lebanon since Israel launched a large-scale onslaught on Iran-backed Hezbollah in September.

       The conference will also call for a diplomatic solution to the crisis based on United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 - which ended the last round of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 - and additional support for Lebanese security forces, deemed the guarantors of unity and stability in the country, according to the document. REUTERS