Associated Press CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak on Monday called for an immediate cease-fire in Israel s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying a longer term solution could be worked out later. In a statement carried by the nation s Middle East News Agency, Mubarak also warned that the onslaught could cause a humanitarian catastrophe. The situation is very grave and needs an urgent action to reach a cease-fire and put an end to hostilities, Mubarak said. After the cease fire we can deal with all issues causing the current problem. He suggested a package of longer term proposals, including a prisoner swap, to resolve the crisis once a cease-fire is in place. Mubarak also said broader regional issues had to be addressed after the end of the hostilities, including a dispute over Chebaa Farms, a small chunk of land seized by Israel in the Middle East s 1967 war, which the Islamic militant group considers part of Lebanese territory. The Egyptian president did not give further details, but Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said other steps to be taken after the cease-fire include expanding the Lebanese government control to the southern border with Israel and deployment of the Lebanese army and an international force in the area. The remarks came amid frantic world diplomatic efforts to try to defuse the standoff, triggered by the July 12 abduction by Hezbollah of two Israeli soldiers, after attacking their post in northern Israel. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also made a surprise visit to Beirut on Monday as she began a regional tour to discuss the crisis. R. Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, said Rice will seek to use our influence to see if there can be a cessation of hostilities. Top Western and regional officials also are meeting in Rome Wednesday to probe for possibilities for an end of hostilities and discussions about a cease-fire are expected to be on the agenda. Abul-Gheit said he will take the Egyptian proposal to the meeting. Neither Mubarak nor his foreign minister talked about the combination of the international troops, but on Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert welcomed the idea of a combined force of troops from European and Arab states that would be deployed in southern Lebanon. Israel hopes such force would be charged with stripping Hezbollah of its long-range missiles arsenal, and preventing the radical Shiite group form launching cross border attacks. The Lebanese government has pleaded with Washington to press Israel to call a cease-fire in bombardment that has demolished Lebanon s infrastructure and killed hundreds. U.S. President George W. Bush opposes that saying the root cause of the conflict must be resolved. On Sunday, Arab diplomats said Egypt and Saudi Arabia are working on a diplomatic initiative designed to entice Syria to end its support for Hezbollah, a move seen crucial to resolve the conflict. Saudi King Abdullah is expected in Egypt on Tuesday for further discussions with Mubarak on the efforts by the two heavyweight Arab nations. Israeli officials have said immediate cease-fire was out of the question. Like the United States, the European Union is not keen on calling for cease-fire as Israel has made clear it will not agree to that for fear of locking itself into an unresolved military standoff with Hezbollah.
