Hizbollah Accepts Middle East Ceasefire Saturday August 12, 05:13 PM

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http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12082006/14...ceasefire.html

Hizbollah has agreed to abide by a Middle East ceasefire set to come into force on Monday despite the escalation of fighting in southern Lebanon. The UN's peace deal was unanimously accepted by the Security Council in New York last night with the ceasefire set to come into force on Monday morning.

The resolution, drawn up by France and the US, demands the full cessation of hostilities and the release of abducted Israeli soldiers.

Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan has said his guerrillas will observe the resolution, once the timing has been agreed and adhered to by Israel.

He said Hizbollah had the right to resist Israeli soldiers still in Lebanon, but would co-operate with Lebanse soldiers and UN troops deployed to southern Lebanon as part of the resolution.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will urge his cabinet to accept the resolution at a meeting on Sunday.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says he will work with both governments to decide on the exact date and time for a ceasefire.

The resolution authorises the deployment of 15,000 international troops to police the Lebanon-Israel border.

Under the plan, this is to coincide with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

Speaking ahead of the vote, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described the past month as "an extremely trying and tumultuous time".

She said it is now that the "hard and urgent work begins" and added that with the world's help, a stronger Lebanon can emerge.

But Dr Rice warned every state, especially Iran and Syria, must respect the sovereignty of Lebanon.

Mr Annan said it is "absolutely necessary that the fighting stops" but he said he wanted to stress how "profoundly disappointed I am that the Council did not reach this point much earlier".

He added that he believes the world's faith in the UN has been "badly shaken" by the failure to intervene sooner in the conflict.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Becket told the Security Council that the immediate priority must now be to address the humanitarian crisis in the region.

More than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and over 100 Israelis have died since the start of the conflict when two Israeli soldiers were abducted by Hizbollah guerillas on July 12.