UN: Deal on Middle East 'ceasefire'
Intensive efforts at UN to vote on draft resolution for a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah, five permanent Security Council members accept draft
(Washington) Moment of truce at UN Security Council: The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on a draft US-French resolution for a truce in the Middle East.
The foreign ministers of France, the United States, Britain, Russian and China all accepted the draft. The Russian Foreign Minister gave up a demand for a 72-hour ceasefire to allow humanitarian organization to reach cut-off Lebanese communities in the south.
In recent days contacts were held behind the scenes, while it was clear to all involved that failure to reach a compromise agreement meant the implementation's of this week's Israeli cabinet decision to expand the offensive in Lebanon up to the Litani River .
The IDF was given the green light on Friday to widen its ground operation and capture southern Lebanese territory up to the Litani River.
Friday afternoon US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived at the UN headquarters in New York. Rice's spokesperson, Sean MacCormack, said there remained much work to be done, but added that Rice was hoping the ceasefire would be put to vote before the day's end.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Gillerman represented Israel in the discussions, after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert barred Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni from leaving for New York to participate in the discussions. With that, Livni was holding feverish contacts in Jerusalem ahead of the pivotal vote, and Friday night she also spoke with Rice. Livni's office assessed the decision would be reached by Saturday at the latest.
During discussions held Friday on the Jerusalem-Washington -New York axis, the list of Israeli demands was set forth: The deployment of the Lebanese army in the south, disarmament of Hizbullah, and the deployment of an international force with operational capabilities in south Lebanon. These conditions are in addition to the demand to release the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
Ronny Sofer contributed to the report
