France working on 21-day temporary Lebanon ceasefire, French foreign minister says

France working on 21-day temporary Lebanon ceasefire, French foreign minister says

By John Irish and Michelle Nichols

France and the United States are working to hammer out a 21-day temporary ceasefire between Lebanese Hezbollah militants and Israel to allow time for broader negotiations, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday.

"A diplomatic solution is indeed possible. In recent days, we've worked with our American partners on a temporary ceasefire platform of 21 days to allow for negotiations," he told the 15-member U.N. Security Council.

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He said the plan would be made public soon.

"We are counting on both parties to accept it without delay, in order to protect civilian populations and allow for diplomatic negotiations to begin," he said.

Barrot, who heads to Lebanon at the end of the week, said Paris had worked with the parties in defining the parameters for a diplomatic way out of the crisis under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

"It's a demanding path, but it is a possible path," he said.

Resolution 1701 - adopted following a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 - expanded the mandate of a U.N. peacekeeping force, allowing it to help the Lebanese army keep parts of the south free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.

It has sparked friction with Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon despite the presence of the Lebanese army. Hezbollah is a heavily armed party and Lebanon's most powerful political force.

Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood told the council that a fully implemented 1701 was the only longterm solution.

"The United States has engaged intensively with all parties in the region. Our aim is clear - to avert a broader war that we believe is in no party's interest, not the people of Israel and not the people of Lebanon," Wood said.

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"We are working with other countries on a proposal that we hope will lead to calm and enable discussions to a diplomatic solution," he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the meeting that Lebanon could not be allowed to become another Gaza.

"Let us say in one clear voice, stop the killing and destruction. Turn down the rhetoric and threats. Step back from the brink. An all-out war must be avoided at all costs," he said.