LONDON, Aug 4: British Prime Minister Tony Blair delayed his summer holiday on Friday to work on a United Nations resolution to resolve the Middle East crisis, emphasising that the next two days were ‘crucial’.

Instead of relaxing on a beach, Blair will work the telephones from his Downing Street office, having already spoken to French President Jacques Chirac on Friday morning and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday night, a spokeswoman said.

“The prime minister has delayed leaving for his holiday so he can do further work on trying to achieve a UN resolution and the wider effort to achieve sustained peace in the region,” the Downing Street spokeswoman said.

“He believes the next couple of days are crucial and will be continuing his intense diplomacy with world leaders from Downing Street,” she told AFP.

Mr Blair, who had been due to jet off reportedly to the Caribbean on Friday, felt it would be easier to conduct such discussions from London than on a plane, the spokeswoman explained.

He will likely resume his vacation plans within the next couple of days.

The United Nations Security Council is struggling to set terms for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon to end more than three weeks of intense fighting.

Messrs Blair and Chirac, who spoke about the situation by phone, underlined ‘the necessity of quickly finding an agreement on the resolution’ that France has presented to the UN on Lebanon, the French presidency said.

Mr Chirac urged that every effort be made to bring about a ceasefire and political accord ratified by the UN as quickly as possible.

The French, backed by other members of the European Union, have been pressing for an immediate cessation of fighting followed by a permanent ceasefire and a political deal that will involve disarming Hezbollah.

Only then would an international military force be deployed to help the Lebanese army gain effective control over southern Lebanon and prevent future Hezbollah attacks on Israel.

With the stakes so high and people still dying on the ground in Lebanon and Israel, Blair and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett have been criticised for even thinking about going on holiday.—AFP