World powers see Lebanon ceasefire deal
Aug 11, 12:10 PM (ET)
Israeli soldiers walk in Lebanon towards the south of Ramiya after they crossed the border in...
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By Evelyn Leopold and Irwin Arieff
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - World powers said on Friday a deal on a U.N. resolution to end Israel's war with Hizbollah guerrillas was in sight, but a political source said Israel had ordered its month-old offensive to be expanded.
"We said two days ago that we would stop the fire, either militarily or diplomatically," an Israeli political source said. "We see that the ceasefire deal ... is not making the required progress, and therefore we have authorized the military action."
Israel told the United States it would not automatically accept any resolution proposed at the United Nations, Israeli television said.
Israel's view of progress at the United Nations was at odds with statements from other powers, including its ally Washington.
"We are now very, very close to agreement and our aspiration to have a vote at the end of the afternoon remains," Washington's U.N. envoy John Bolton told reporters.
Britain's ambassador Emyr Jones Parry backed Bolton's view.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew to New York in anticipation of a vote on ending the war, in which at least 1,026 people in Lebanon and 123 Israelis have been killed.
She was set to meet U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the United Nations said. Rice also met British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett. French officials said Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy was en route to the United Nations.
A senior Lebanese political source said Lebanese leaders had made progress in talks with a U.S. official in Beirut.
"There is serious and major progress that could lead to an understanding in the next few hours. There are no more basic sticking points," the source said, without giving details.
The source was speaking after talks that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Welch held with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shi'ite politician who has negotiated on Hizbollah's behalf.
Israel's Channel 10 quoted Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as telling Rice by telephone that Israel's acceptance of a draft resolution "could not be taken for granted."
Israel's security cabinet had authorized expanding the ground war on Wednesday, with some talking of a 30-day push deeper into Lebanon. But ministers had later said the expansion was put on hold to allow more time for diplomacy.
U.S., FRENCH OPTIMISM
France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, said it was likely that a draft resolution would be ready on Friday.
Bolton, who negotiated the text with his French counterpart, said it still had to be discussed by a number of parties.
"But our feeling is, because of the importance of bringing this to closure, that if once again France and the United States and others can come together on a text, we can move forward expeditiously," he told reporters.
There was no immediate let-up in the violence in Lebanon and Israel. Air raids killed another 15 people in Lebanon. An Israeli soldier was reported killed in fighting and Hizbollah rockets wounded seven people in northern Israel.
Israeli raids on a bridge near the border with Syria killed 12 people and wounded 18, hospital staff said. Witnesses said a second strike hit the bridge 15 minutes after the first had brought rescuers rushing to the scene.
Israeli strikes killed two people in the eastern Bekaa Valley and one in south Lebanon, medical sources said.
An Israeli soldier was killed and one was badly wounded in fighting with Hizbollah guerrillas, Al Arabiya television reported. The Israeli army had no immediate comment.
More bombs hit Beirut's battered Shi'ite Muslim suburbs, hours after dawn raids on the capital. Many people fled the suburbs on Thursday after Israel dropped warning leaflets.
Hizbollah, whose seizure of two Israeli soldiers sparked the war on July 12, fired more than 55 rockets into Israel, wounding seven people, police and ambulance staff said.
100,000 TRAPPED
Humanitarian agencies sought ways to get aid to an estimated 100,000 people trapped in southern Lebanon and the mayor of Tyre said the city could run out of food in two days.
Aid convoys have been unable to deliver supplies since an Israeli air strike hit a bridge on the Litani River on Monday.
The U.S.-French draft resolution calls for a "cessation of hostilities." Lebanon wants a quick Israeli pullout, but Israel says a strong multinational force must be deployed first.
The latest compromise calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal as the Lebanese army moves into the south. At the same time, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon would be reinforced by up to 15,000 French and other troops.
As part of the deal, Hizbollah would pull out from south of the Litani River, 20 km (13 miles) from the Israeli border.
A second resolution on a permanent ceasefire would follow within a month, tackling a range of outstanding issues, including the release of the two soldiers held by Hizbollah.
Israel will reserve the right to re-enter Lebanon in future if the proposed U.N. force fails to stop Hizbollah fighters from returning to the border, a top military official said.
(Additional reporting by Beirut, Jerusalem, Washington, Paris and Dubai bureaux)
