The Rome conference discussing the situation in Lebanon ended without agreement concerning the political conditions needed to effect an immediate ceasefire, writes Samia Nkrumah from the Italian capital After two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hizbullah, the international community is determined to end the violence. This is despite the fact that the UN and most participating European, and the few Arab, countries represented in Rome had called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Foreign ministers of 16 countries and the highest representatives of the United Nations, the EU and the World Bank met earlier in Rome yesterday to try and put an end to the military conflict which has so far -- according to latest news agencies figures -- claimed the lives of 418 Lebanese and 42 Israelis, many of whom are civilians. Some positive signs emerged from the Rome meeting on the humanitarian front. First, the conference's final document included a pledge for immediate humanitarian relief to Lebanese victims with a request to Israel to allow for the creation of a humanitarian corridor. Second, there was a concrete pledge to hold a donors' conference to repair the damage sustained by Lebanon after two weeks of military conflict. Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema told journalists at the end of the talks that "international donors will take up the reconstruction of Lebanon". Third, a European Union meeting is scheduled to be held next Tuesday to discuss the humanitarian crisis and the possibility of a multinational force that -- if agreement is reached -- could be deployed along the Lebanese-Israeli border once the hostilities end. Javier Solana, the highest representative of the European Union's foreign policy told journalists that "after today's meeting, a ceasefire is closer than ever." Italy's D'Alema also confirmed at a press conference that Italy itself will send Italian troops to Lebanon if a multinational or intervention force is formed. Another diplomatic development was announced from Beirut as the conference came to a conclusion. According to ANSA, Nabih Berri -- Lebanese parliament speaker -- told Italian journalists in Beirut that as soon as there is a ceasefire, they would seek an Italian mediation for the prisoner exchange. Berri is seen as the only legitimate mediator by Hizbullah officials recently. In a related incident on the eve of the Rome conference, a senior Hizbullah official told Associated Press that his movement had not expected Israel to react so strongly to the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers on 12 July. D'Alema, who co-chaired the Rome talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, read out from the conference's final document and confirmed a need for an immediate UN mandated international force to help the Lebanese population. While promising that all parties will continue working towards a permanent ceasefire, the Italian foreign minister appealed for concrete steps "to give Lebanon control over its territory". At the same time, the Italian foreign minister called on Israel "to exercise moderation and respect for the lives of civilians". Rice on her part said she wanted to see "a democratic and stable Lebanon" and called on those countries who could influence Iran to advise the latter not to use "extremist forces" that could destabilise not only Lebanon, but the whole region. Rice singled out three countries, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria as important countries that could have a future role. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Al-Siniora, who was accompanied by his country's foreign minister, told journalists that he expected much more from the talks. He said, "Arab countries have unanimously chosen peace so it is now Israel's turn to untie the knots of the crisis in the Middle East: the only way to achieve peace is to withdraw from the occupied territories in Lebanon and in Gaza." The participating countries had a wide-range of views. The Arab representatives from Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, whose foreign ministers were in attendance, urged an immediate ceasefire. These countries, defined by the media here as the "moderate" Arabs, were the only Arab countries present in the talks, apart from Lebanon. Like the UN and the EU, they called for the deployment of an international force along the borders of Lebanon and Israel after a ceasefire is effect. These countries also urged the implementation of UN Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of non-Lebanese and Lebanese militias in Lebanon, including Hizbullah. They also called for the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hizbullah. The UN condemned the actions of Hizbullah as well as Israel's disproportionate use of force. It urged Hizbullah to hand over the two Israeli soldiers it kidnapped to the Lebanese government and is pushing for the creation of a humanitarian corridor and the deployment of a multinational force along a buffer zone in south Lebanon. Italy, Russia, France and Spain also criticised Israel's disproportionate use of force, but at the same time recognised the legitimacy of her right to react. France has also distanced itself from Israel's proposal for a NATO buffer force because it would be viewed as a Western, and not an international, force. In his opening address to the conference, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said that the refugee crisis caused by the war in Lebanon had not got enough media attention. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, which has its headquarters in Rome, said in a statement on the eve of the summit that an estimated 500,000 Lebanese have been displaced and a further 200,000 are estimated to have fled into neighbouring countries. The UN has also launched an appeal for "about $150 million to meet the immediate needs of the affected populations for food, healthcare, logistics and sanitation, protection and common services."
