A Security Council vote on the resolution is expected on Friday

Margaret Beckett, the British foreign minister, said on Friday that there was "an agreed text" and the full UN Security Council would receive the draft later in hopes of a vote later in the day.

Israel and Lebanon have now received the draft but Beckett said sponsors of the draft would push ahead for a vote in the 15-nation Security Council, regardless of their response, following days of consultations with both governments.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, welcomed the agreement.

"That is a positive step forward but it is only one step in this process. We want a vote on this resolution that will lead to a lasting resolution," McCormack said.

Draft details

The agreement, coming as Israel says it might expand its offensive in southern Lebanon, calls for an immediate "cessation of hostilities" followed by a phased withdrawal of Israeli units as the Lebanese army and an expanded UN peacekeeping force move into the south.

A deal on a resolution had been delayed over the timing of an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon.

Beirut wanted a quick Israeli pullout, but Tel Aviv had said a strong multinational force must be deployed first.

The latest compromise calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal as the Lebanese army moves into the south. At the same time, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon would be reinforced by up to 15,000 French and other troops.

As part of the deal, Hezbollah would pull out from south of the Litani River, 20km from the Israeli border.

Reactions

Beckett said Israel and Lebanon were expected to agree, although there had been no word from either capital.

"Not that Israel and Lebanon go out and say we accept every bit of text but that they would implement the text," she said.

Not that Israel and Lebanon go out and say we accept every bit of text but that they would implement the text
Margaret Beckett,
the British foreign minister

A senior Lebanese political source said Lebanese leaders had made progress in talks with a US official in Beirut and Beirut had no further major objections to the proposed deal.

Israel's Channel 10 quoted Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister, as telling Rice by telephone on Friday that Israel's acceptance of the resolution "could not be taken for granted".

More than 1,000 Lebanese and 121 Israelis have been killed in the five-week war that began on July 12.

At the insistence of Lebanon, the United States and Britain agreed to drop a reference to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which permits a robust UN peacekeeping operation.

But Emyr Jones Parry, Britain's ambassador to the UN, said the text would carry strong rules of engagement for the expanded force that France is expected to lead.

Beckett cautioned that the resolution, expected to take a week to implement, was a short-term one. "We're not here trying to solve all the problems of the Middle East overnight."

A second resolution on a permanent ceasefire is to follow within a month, tackling a range of outstanding issues.

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