US, France close to deal on UN Mideast resolution

[partylessinOhio]

US, France close to deal on UN Mideast resolution

By Evelyn Leopold 6 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and France were close to a deal on Friday on a U.N. resolution seeking an end to the fighting between Israel and Lebanon as the first step toward a political settlement of the conflict.

But France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, told reporters after a second round of talks, "We're still working on it."

Once they reach agreement, which could occur over the weekend, a
U.N. Security Council vote could be held within 24 hours, possibly with foreign ministers.

But with fighting raging, an end to hostilities still appears questionable, despite regular contacts by Washington and Paris with Israel and Lebanon.

Earlier on Friday, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters after talks with Sabliere, "There are still some issues we've not resolved, but I think we've come a little bit closer." ...

In a flurry of telephone diplomacy, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan discussed the resolution with President Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a U.N. spokesman said. ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060804/pl_nm/mideast_un_dc_12;_ylt=AqN58dvox59ht7hQGlQF.tkUvioA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

I hope something will move these world leaders soon but I won't hold my breath.

[AlamoDemoc]

1. Don't expect anything to come out of this

this current US administration has a habit of using the UN as cover for their intervention throughout the world...and as Bolton once said;

"....that there is no United Nations. There is an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world, and that's the United States, when it suits our interest, and when we can get others to go along. And I think it would be a real mistake to count on the United Nations as if it is some disembodied entity out there that can function on its own."