US, France reach deal on UN ME resolution

A Lebanese woman inspects the destruction yesterday following Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut. PHOTO: AFP

The full 15-nation Security Council was scheduled to meet later Saturday to review the text, which is expected to be adopted within the next few days, the officials said.

US Ambassador John Bolton and French President Jacques Chirac's office confirmed that agreement had been reached.

An official with knowledge of the document said the draft calls for a "full cessation of violence" between Israel and Hezbollah, but would allow Israel the right to launch strikes if Hezbollah attacks it.

"It does not say immediate cessation of violence," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the draft had not yet been made public.

That appeared to be a major victory for the US and Israel. France and many other nations had demanded an immediate and halt to violence without conditions as a way to push the region back toward stability.

The French presidential palace in Paris said a deal was reached on a resolution that seeks a total halt to hostilities and would work toward a permanent cease-fire and a long-term solution.

US Ambassador John Bolton met with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, on Friday to try to bridge the remaining differences. French and US officials were expected to meet again Saturday.

With international pressure for an end to hostilities intensifying, the United States said it expects the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution early next week.

"We are very close to a final draft with the French on a text," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington.

Bolton and de La Sabliere have refused to say what the remaining differences are, but Security Council diplomats said one crucial problem was the timing of a halt to the fighting and the deployment of an international force.

France, reflecting wide international opinion, including that of its former colony Lebanon, wants an immediate end to the violence. The United States, Israel's closest ally, does not want a halt without the immediate implementation of other steps, including the deployment of peacekeepers.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, said late Friday that negotiations had gone so well the draft might be ready to circulate to the rest of the Security Council over the weekend.

Under the most optimistic scenario, a vote could come as early as Tuesday.

If agreement on a resolution appears likely, there is a possibility that foreign ministers of the 15 council nations may fly to New York for a meeting.

Rice expressed support Thursday for an immediate halt to the fighting as the first phase in ending the conflict. It was the most concrete signal yet that the US may be willing to compromise on the diplomatic stalemate.