Compromise on U.N. cease-fire resolution

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The United States and Arab countries agreed Thursday on a British-drafted U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

The consensus followed a reversal in position by the delegation led by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, The Independent reported. The delegation said late Wednesday the United States would accept a call for a cease-fire, although not the one presented to the Security Council by Libya.

Rice and her counterparts from Britain, France and some Arab countries agreed Thursday on the wording. A vote was expected late in the evening.

"It is not every day that the United Nations speaks loudly and clearly and across all the nations in the (United Nations) about the Middle East," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said.

The Bush administration has been supportive of Israel since the bombardment of Gaza began almost two weeks ago. Even Britain, generally among the most reliable U.S. allies in the Middle East, has taken a less hard-line stance.