SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Warning of the potential for a larger war, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday called for an immediate end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants and said international peacekeepers should be sent to southern Lebanon.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan delivers a speech during a meeting in the Dominican Republic. The United States and France faced mounting pressure as they battled to overcome differences so that the UN Security Council can pass a resolution calling for a halt to the Middle East conflict.[AFP]

Annan, on a one-day visit to the Dominican Republic, called for a series of measures to resolve the Middle East crisis including a cease-fire, the disarmament of Hezbollah and a redrawing of Lebanon's borders with Israel and Syria.

"Otherwise, we may see explosions elsewhere," Annan said in a speech in the capital of Santo Domingo.

He expressed hope the U.N. Security Council would agree on a resolution to stop the fighting within days, and another resolution setting up a long-term political framework to prevent future bloodshed.

Annan painted a grim picture of the situation in the region, describing Israeli civilians hiding in bunkers and warning that Lebanon "is being destroyed." He expressed doubt that the Israelis or Hezbollah would stop fighting on their own.

"I have a sense both sides believe it's a war they ought to win. And both sides believe they can win. And of course Hezbollah defines victory in a way I don't think it can lose. Hezbollah says if we survive we have won," Annan said.

His comments come as U.S. officials said the United States and France are close to agreement on a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at ending fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

France, reflecting wide international opinion, wants an immediate halt to combat. The United States, all but isolated except for Israel, does not want a cease-fire without the immediate implementation of other steps, such as the deployment of international peacekeepers.

Annan said that a multinational force would be needed to assist the Lebanese government in disarming Hezbollah, and "to create a situation where there is only one authority and only one government."

Annan also said a clear delineation of Lebanon's borders with Syria and Israel was needed, but did not elaborate.