PM pushes for Lebanon ceasefire

PM pushes for Lebanon ceasefire

7 August 2006

Prime Minister Tony Blair Tony Blair is continuing to work to build international backing for a Lebanon ceasefire deal, the Prime Minister's spokeswoman has told journalists.

The Prime Minister is working in Number 10 trying to win the "earliest possible" support for a draft United Nations Security Council resolution tabled by the US and France, she said.

Mr Blair, who announced on Friday that he was delaying his summer holiday in the Caribbean, is continuing to talk to other world leaders.

He spent the weekend talking to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, US President George Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Sinora.

He also discussed the situation with Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott as well as receiving a briefing on the humanitarian situation from Oxfam and Christian Aid.

The spokeswoman added:

"He is not going anywhere today.

"When he does go, he will obviously be kept informed and keeping in touch with people on a daily basis about the situation."

The spokeswoman said Mr Blair believed the current proposals had identified the "middle ground" between the two sides, which should allow an urgent cessation of hostilities.

"We recognise the concerns on both sides. We are dealing with two countries that have deep-rooted differences. The Prime Minister is working to bridge those differences."

ENDS

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