New York  - The United Nations Security Council called for an emergency meeting late Thursday after Western and Arab nations arrived at a compromise text to end the Israel-Hamas fighting.

The text was hammered out following day-long negotiations at UN headquarters in New York between foreign ministers of the United States, France and Britain on one side and high-ranking Arab government officials and the Arab League on the other.

The 15-nation council was to meet to discuss the final draft resolution and would possibly vote if both sides agreed on the text.

The text combined two sets of documents: A draft statement from the three Western powers and the draft resolution submitted by the Arabs earlier this week.

The compromise text calls for an "immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire," which would lead to the withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Force from the Gaza Strip.

It calls for the "unimpeded provisions and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment."

It welcomes initiatives to open corridors for humanitarian assistance and a mechanism for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid.

The text says the durable ceasefire will require "arrangements and guarantees" for its implementation. Those arrangements include a ban on the smuggling of illicit weapons and ammunition, the sustained reopening of crossings into Gaza and the support of an initiative by Egypt and other regional and international efforts that are underway to end the conflict, which entered its 13th day on Thursday.

It encourages "tangible steps" towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation and calls for diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive peace settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The negotiations for the compromise text involved the active participation of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, foreign ministers Bernard Kouchner of France and David Miliband of Britain. The three ministers shuttled between their own meeting room and the room where Arab government officials were meeting in the basement of UN headquarters. (dpa)