NEW YORK: The United States, France and other allies jointly have called for an “immediate” 21-day truce to allow for talks in the escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel that has killed over 600 people in Lebanon in recent days.
The joint statement says the recent fighting between the two side is unbearable and presents an unacceptable danger of a broader regional escalation.
Hezbollah and Israel War
The statement added that they called for an immediate 21-day truce across the Israel-Lebanon border to offer space for diplomacy. It added that they called on all parties, including Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary truce immediately. The signatories also include the US, Canada, Australia, the EU, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.
French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot told the UNSC during a meeting that they are counting on both sides to accept it without postponement. Jean-Noël Barrot stated that France and the US had also consulted with the sides on final limitations for a diplomatic way out of the current crisis, saying that conflict is not unavoidable.
French-US Plan to Stop War
US deputy envoy to the UN Robert Wood also encouraged the UNSC to support the diplomatic efforts but didn’t share specifics regarding the plan. He has said that they are working with other nations on a proposal that they hope will lead to calm and enable talks to a diplomatic solution.
Earlier Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington was intensely engaged with a number of partners in order to deescalate tensions in Lebanon and to work to get a truce deal.
Blinken and other advisers to Biden have spent the last three days at and on the sidelines of the annual UNGA meeting of world leaders in New York lobbying other nations to support the plan, US officials told media on the condition of anonymity.
Israel and Lebanon
An Israeli official told the media on the condition of anonymity that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has given the green light to pursue a possible agreement, but only if it includes the return of Israeli to their homes.
Lebanese PM Najib Mikati threw his support behind the plan that enjoys global support and which would put an end to this war. The Prime Minister called on the UN Security Council to guarantee the withdrawal of Israel forces from all the occupied Lebanese territories and the violations that are repeated on daily.
