United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday that the Security Council resolution on Lebanon marks the first step to find a sustainable and lasting solution to the conflict in Lebanon.

Annan said the belated resolution marks a vital step forward and expressed the relief that the Council members have been able to resolve their differences, accommodating many points of view, making it possible to conclude a sustainable and lasting cease-fire agreement in the days ahead.

He also urged the international community to give the Lebanese government all possible support to help it effectively exercise its sovereignty and territorial integrity, to be well prepared to offer sustained support and aid for political and economic reconstruction of Lebanon and to address the broader context of crisis in the region.

"The United Nations stands for a just solution to all these issues. We stand for security for Lebanon, for Israel, for the region. We stand for a comprehensive solution, and must therefore do our utmost to address all the separate but intertwined issues and conflicts in the region, whether manifest or latent," Annan said.

He described the government's decision to deploy 15,000 troops to the south as a "significant development."

The Security Council on Friday evening unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and Israel. Addressing the Council before voting, Annan said it is absolutely vital that fighting now stop.

Meanwhile, the UN chief deplored the inability of the world body over the past weeks. The Security Council has been criticized for taking too long to come up with a response to the bloodshed.

"I am convinced that my disappointment and sense of frustration are shared by hundreds of millions of people around the world."

All members of the Council must be aware that its inability to act sooner had badly shaken the world's faith in its authority and integrity, Annan said.

"Delays will mean only more lost lives, more shattered hopes and a further decline in the standing and authority of this Council and the Organization," he added.

The fighting between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah militia since July 12 has left more than 1,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Source: Xinhua