US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday refused to call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, saying a more comprehensive solution was needed. "This is a moment of intense conflict in the Middle East. Yet our aim is to turn it into a moment of opportunity and a chance for a broader change in the region," said Bush at a joint press conference after talks at the White House. Bush also sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice back to the Middle East as he and Blair called for quickly sending a multinational force to Lebanon. The two leaders criticised Iran and Syria, with Blair warning that they must become "proper and responsible members of the international community" or face "the risk of increasing confrontation."
Rice will arrive in the region today (Saturday) "to work with Israel and Lebanon to come up with an acceptable UNSC resolution" to end the conflict and set the stage for sending the international deployment, said Bush. Then, on Monday, world powers will meet at the UN to decide the size, composition and mandate of the multinational force, paving the way for the UNSC to take up a resolution on the conflict.