U.N. Security Council unanimously approved proposal ending the monthlong conflic

BY

The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a six-page proposal aimed at ending the monthlong conflict between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

Daniel Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to the United States, said before the vote that the Israeli Security Cabinet was likely to sign off on the resolution at its Sunday meeting.

"I do not want to pre-empt the Cabinet decision, but the language as I see it now -- and I'm being careful -- if the language of the resolution doesn't change, I view this resolution very positively and, of course, the crux is implementation," Ayalon said. "If this resolution will be enforced, then we solve the problem of Lebanon."

Hezbollah has not responded to the proposal.

The draft resolution was distributed to the full U.N. Security Council in a closed-door session that began about 3 p.m. ET, and the vote took place about five hours later.

The resolution contains a "very robust mandate" for the use of an international peacekeeping force, a U.S. State Department official said.
The draft also calls for an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

BY

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Friday that calls for an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and authorizes the deployment of 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help Lebanese troops take control of south Lebanon as Israel withdraws.

The draft, which had been proposed by the United States and France, offers the best chance yet for peace after more than four weeks of significant bloodshed. It was the first significant action by the Security Council, the most powerful U.N. body, to address a war that has killed more than 800 people, destroyed Lebanon's infrastructure and inflamed tensions across the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert endorsed the resolution late Friday, after a day of dramatic day brinksmanship including a threat to expand the ground war in Lebanon. But Israeli officials said Israel would not halt fighting until Israel's Cabinet has approved the cease-fire deal in its weekly meeting Sunday.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora also assured Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that his country backed the resolution, a U.S. official said.

[ Last edited by BY on 2006-8-12 at 08:50 AM ]