Will there be a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon?
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on September 25 that France and the United States are working to reach a temporary 21-day ceasefire between Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters and Israel to create time for broader negotiations.
"A diplomatic solution is indeed possible. In recent days, we have been working with our American partners on a platform for a 21-day temporary ceasefire to facilitate negotiations," Mr Barrot told the 15-member UN Security Council.
The plan will be announced soon, he added, adding: "We are confident that both sides will accept it without delay, to protect civilians and create conditions for starting diplomatic negotiations."
Foreign Minister Barrot, who will arrive in Lebanon later this week, said Paris has been working with the parties to define the parameters for a diplomatic solution to the crisis under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
“It is a challenging path, but a viable one,” he said.
Resolution 1701 - passed after a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 - expanded the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force, allowing it to help the Lebanese army keep areas in the south free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.
The resolution has caused tensions with Hezbollah, which de facto controls southern Lebanon despite the presence of the Lebanese army. Hezbollah is a heavily armed group and Lebanon's most powerful political force.
Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood told the council that a fully implemented Resolution 1701 was the only lasting solution.
"The United States has been working closely with all parties in the region. Our goal is clear - to prevent a broader war that we believe is not in the interests of any party, not in the interests of the people of Israel and not in the interests of the people of Lebanon," Wood said.
"We are working with other countries on a proposal that we hope will lead to calm and facilitate discussions toward a diplomatic solution," he said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the meeting that Lebanon cannot become another Gaza.
"Let us speak clearly, stop the killing and destruction. Lower the tone and the threats. Step back from the brink. All-out war must be avoided at all costs," he said.
