Solana said Tuesday that an international force for Lebanon should represent
a broad sweep of nations to generate the widest possible public support in the
Middle East and have a robust
United Nations mandate to use force, if
necessary.
He gave no details of timing or duration of any peacekeeping mission.
Britain's foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, said the focus of Wednesday's
meeting would also be on responding to humanitarian needs of the hundreds of
thousands who have been displaced or otherwise affected by the fighting.
"First we want to see something done for these terrible humanitarian problems
in Lebanon," Beckett said as she entered the talks. "Second, we need an
international plan to enable us to bring a durable end to the hostilities.
That's the thing that everybody wants."
"And third of all, what we need is to make sure that we are shoring up and
strengthening the government of Lebanon rather than weakening it," Beckett said.
In a signal that the U.S. was not yet ready to change its position on a
cease-fire, an official traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told
reporters that a truce cannot be reached overnight.
Italian Premier Romano Prodi, delivering opening remarks, appealed to the
delegations to show "determination and unity" to overcome differences over how
to deal with the crisis, triggered by a June 12 cross-border Hezbollah raid in
which two Israeli soldiers were captured and eight others were killed.
Apparently seeking to play down expectations, though, Prodi described the
conference as a "starting point."
Annan said Monday that he wants the Rome conference to agree on a package to
stop the Israeli-Hezbollah fighting and ensure lasting peace between Israel and
Lebanon.
In the short term, he said, urgent measures are needed to halt the violence
and get humanitarian aid to the Lebanese uprooted by the fighting. But the
package should also include a cease-fire, deployment of an international force
and the release of two Israeli soldiers abducted by Hezbollah, he said.
The United Nations already has a peacekeeping force of 2,000 military
personnel in Lebanon - called UNIFIL - with a mission to patrol the
border. But that force, deployed since 1978, has been ineffective in stopping
violence in the zone it patrols.
Italy, host of Wednesday's conference, has said it would support the idea of
a multinational force and participate in one provided there was a strong mandate
from the United Nations.
Israel - which had so far called for the Lebanese army to take control
of the area - signaled a policy shift when it said Sunday that it would
accept a new international force, preferably from NATO.
French President Jacques Chirac said Wednesday that NATO should not lead a
proposed international force in Lebanon, saying it instead should be placed
under United Nations authority.
Germany on Tuesday said a cease-fire must be in place before there can be any
thought of sending international troops to Lebanon.
