France and the United States, cosponsors of a draft UN resolution on Lebanon, differed from each other yesterday over how to respond to Arab calls for Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon and an immediate ceasefire.

The UN ambassadors of the two countries continued their efforts to find common ground on the possible new text of the resolution but failed to do so after their talks on Wednesday yielded no results.

U.S. ambassador John Bolton, who also met with the Arab League's Secretary-General Amr Moussa during the day, acknowledged that there are "disagreements" and "areas of uncertainty", but insisted he was still continuing discussions with France.

France's President Jacques Chirac said France may deliver its own draft to the Security Council if there was no U.S. agreement over the amendments demanded by Lebanon.

"It seems indeed that there are American reservations towards adopting the proposal," Chirac said at a press conference in the southern town of Toulon following a cabinet meeting, Chirac noted that France had asked that the resolution draft integrate amendments demanded by the Lebanese government.

"If we don't, it is obvious that we will have a debate at the Security Council and each of us will clearly set out our positions, including France with its own resolution," Chirac said.

One of the sticking points was the timing of the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the entry into southern Lebanon by a new international force, UN diplomats said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with Moussa on Wednesday afternoon, discussing the work being done on a draft resolution by the Security Council. They agreed that a resolution is needed urgently, so that there can be an immediate cessation of hostilities, said a press read-out released by the UN chief's office.

Arab nations have rejected the current U.S.-French draft which does not specifically call for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon after any end to hostilities.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani, head of an Arab League delegation in New York to ask the 15-nation council to modify the French-U.S. draft resolution, asked the council Tuesday to take into account the concerns of Arab nations in a draft UN Security Council resolution seeking an end to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

The demands include an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire based on Israel's withdrawal behind the Blue Line, an exchange of Lebanese and Israeli prisoners, putting the disputed Shebaa Farms under the UN control, extending Lebanese government authority throughout the country and expanding the existing UN peacekeeping mission and providing international help to rebuild Lebanon.