South Africa has been asked to use its political influence internationally to help end the conflict in Lebanon, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said on Tuesday. He said at a media briefing in Pretoria that President Thabo Mbeki had received a letter from Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora asking the government to intervene politically and help with humanitarian aid.

"Politically they want us to support them at the United Nations (UN), they want us to call for an immediate ceasefire and they want us to support their seven point plan, which we do anyway... we'll see what more we can do," Pahad said.

A United States and France co-sponsored draft resolution at the UN Security Council to help end the conflict failed when several parties objected to the plan as being one-sided.

Pahad said there was a need for the UN to act more decisively, as the situation in the region was deteriorating with more and more Arab communities threatening to take matters into their own hands.

“If you want to find a proper solution, they have to take the bull by the horn and be decisive to give leadership... this is not the time to find compromises that would not help, it is the time to show leadership that would ensure international peace and stability," Pahad said.

He said people were noticing the "failure of the Security Council" to act and this was weakening the whole UN.

"A resolution must be able to satisfy the main protagonist, Israel, Lebanon Hezbollah and the states in the region otherwise it is a non-starter," Pahad said.

He said while the attention was on Lebanon it was important not to forget about the situation in Gaza. - Sapa