"I would like the discussions underway in New York to take this essential new element into account, in order to secure the rapid adoption of a resolution," Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in a statement.

"This major new initiative was taken unanimously by the members of the Lebanese government," he said, in reference to the two Lebanese ministers drawn from the Shiite movement Hezbollah, the target of the Israeli offensive.

"It therefore demonstrates the will of all parties in Lebanon to put the Lebanese government in a position to exercise its sovereignty over the whole of its territory."

He said the Lebanese offer was "an important contribution towards a settlement of the crisis".

Separately, a foreign ministry spokesman told a press conference that the Lebanese offer had "changed the context of discussions in New York".

Douste-Blazy -- who was set to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and other Arab leaders on the sidelines of Tuesday's Security Council debate in New York -- earlier gave France's backing to Beirut's offer.

"This is a very important political step to which France brings its support. We need now to look at how this proposal could be implemented," he told France Inter radio.

The French minister was notably due to meet his counterparts from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.