Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said that the Egyptian and American stands on a ceasefire in Lebanon were different.

While Washington wants certain demands to be met before the United Nations Security Council can call for a ceasefire, Cairo is for an immediate ceasefire, the Foreign Minister told a press conference in Washington, Tuesday night.

Egypt has urged the international community within the context of an Arab League (AL) meeting to shoulder its responsibility in this respect, he told the press conference held with his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice after the first meeting of the Egyptian-US strategic dialogue round.

Arabs want the UN to treat this situation, Abul-Gheit said, adding that conveying this demand to the world body was the duty of the AL's General Secretariat.

"The US response to Egypt's request to affect an immediate ceasefire came in the form of an agreement in principle, but Washington sees there are other considerations, which it did not name, that must be met first," he said.

"Egypt has called for swift action that would lead to a ceasefire and expand UNIFIL's mission or the dispatch of international troops that can also help facilitate the task of the Lebanese army in line with the decision adopted Saturday by the AL Foreign Ministerial meeting in Cairo," Abul-Gheit said.

"Should a resolution calling for a ceasefire be issued, it will be enforced either instantly or some time later, depending on the pressure exercised on the warring sides," he added.
"No one speaks on disarming Hezbollah, but talks is rife on the deployment of Lebanese troops and the Lebanese government's exercise of control all over its lands," he said.
Israel launched an assault on Lebanon on July 12 in the wake of Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers.

July 20, 2006