Bush welcomes UN resolution to stop WAsia fighting

CRAWFORD, Texas, Aug 12 (Reuters) US President George W Bush welcomed a UN resolution today aimed at stopping the fighting between Israel and Hizbollah, saying the guerrilla group and its sponsors Iran and Syria had brought an ''unwanted'' war to the region.

The fighting continued today, with the Israeli army saying it had started broadening its ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution yesterday calling for a ''cessation of hostilities'' in the war between Israel and Lebanon's Hizbollah militia that has killed about 1,000 Lebanese and 123 Israelis and displaced more than 1 million people.

In his statement, Bush again blamed Hizbollah for sparking the violence last month through an ''unprovoked terrorist attack'' on Israel.

The resolution, negotiated by the United States and France, envisions a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon when violence subsides and 15,000 Lebanese army troops along with the UN peacekeepers begin to deploy.

''These steps are designed to stop Hizbollah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda,'' Bush said in a statement from Crawford, Texas.

''This in turn will help to restore the sovereignty of Lebanon's democratic government and help ensure security for the people of Lebanon and Israel,'' he said.

''Hizbollah and its Iranian and Syrian sponsors have brought an unwanted war to the people of Lebanon and Israel, and millions have suffered as a result,'' Bush said.

''I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region.'' UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that in the coming days he would ''establish with both parties the exact date and time'' for the truce to come into force.

The resolution calls for an embargo on the supply of arms to militias in Lebanon.

REUTERS AB RAI2111