LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair is adamant that a unilateral ceasefire in Lebanon would not work because Israel would still be vulnerable to attacks by Hezbollah, his spokesman said Monday.
The only way to achieve peace is to forge a workable plan involving an international stabilisation force in southern Lebanon to offer Israel assurances that it would be safe from further militant rocket attacks if the Jewish state ended its offensive, he told a news briefing.
While reiterating that Blair wanted the fighting to stop, the spokesman said: "We are not in favour of a unilateral ceasefire because a unilateral ceasefire won't work."
Instead, it is vital for all sides involved to address the underlying reasons for the conflict and agree on a plan to move forward, he said.
"You cannot take a one-sided view of this and hope realistically to bring an end to the conflict," the spokesman said.
Blair is looking increasingly isolated on the international stage as he has so far resisted pressure to demand an immediate end to Israel's bloody campaign in Lebanon and Gaza that has left hundreds of civilians dead.
Even the United States, a key British ally, appeared to be softening its stance, with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calling for an urgent ceasefire - though with "conditions that make it sustainable" - in the Lebanon conflict during a tour of the region.
Blair's spokesman said Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has been involved in intense talks for the past week with her counterparts in the Middle East and elsewhere, while the prime minister has also been "working the phones".
In addition, the spokesman noted that the plan for a stabilisation force to move into southern Lebanon was "beginning to take shape".
As for whether agreement on the proposal was likely, he said: "I think we are nearer there than we were this time last week."
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