France circulated a revised Security Council resolution on Thursday that would call for an immediate halt to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and set conditions for a lasting political settlement.

The revised draft, based on a former version distributed by France on Sunday, still calls for an "immediate cessation of hostilities" but also calls for "full respect" of the Blue Line, a border line drawn by the United Nations after Israel pulled out its troops from south Lebanon in 2000.

It emphasizes "the need to create the conditions for a permanent cease-fire and a lasting solution to the current crisis between Israel and Lebanon."

The conditions include "the release of the abducted Israeli soldiers and the settlement of the issue of the Lebanese prisoners detained in Israel" and the full implementation of UN resolutions 1559 and 1680 that demand the disarming of all militias in Lebanon.

The resolution requires the demarcation of the international borders of Lebanon, including in the Shebaa Farms area.

The conditions also include the extension of the Lebanese government's authority and deployment of its army in the south and along the Blue Line.

The United States and France, which have been involved in intense discussions on measures to tackle the Mideast crisis, are currently at loggerheads over the timing of the deployment of a new international force for Lebanon.

France wants a cessation of hostilities and a political settlement between Israel, Hezbollah and the Lebanese government before deploying the force while the United States pushes for an early deployment of peacekeepers to help impose a ceasefire.

Source: Xinhua