CRISIS TALKS ON LEBANON BEGAN ON WEDNESDAY WITH PRESSURE GROWING FOR A CEASEFIRE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HIZBOLLAH FIGHTERS AFTER FOUR U.N. OBSERVERS WERE KILLED, BUT DIPLOMATS PLAYED DOWN THE CHANCE OF A QUICK DEAL. SENIOR DIPLOMATS FROM THE UNITED STATES, MIDDLE EAST AND EUROPE MET IN ROME TO DISCUSS WAYS TO END THE 15-DAY-OLD CONFLICT THAT HAS KILLED 418 PEOPLE IN LEBANON AND 42 ISRAELIS. ISRAEL WAS NOT INVITED TO THE CONFERENCE, NOR WAS HIZBOLLAH OR ITS ALLIES SYRIA AND IRAN. ARAB LEADERS WERE EXPECTED TO DEMAND AN URGENT PEACE DEAL, BUT WASHINGTON AND THE EUROPEAN UNION BELIEVE THE CONDITIONS ARE NOT YET RIGHT FOR A LASTING CEASEFIRE. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE AND ITALY CO-CHAIRED THE CONFERENCE, WHICH WAS BEING WATCHED BY OIL MARKETS NERVOUS ABOUT THE CONFLICT SPREADING TO OIL PRODUCERS. ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER ROMANO PRODI SAID HE HOPED THE TALKS WOULD BREAK THE "CYCLE OF VIOLENCE" WITH STEPS ON SECURITY, A HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR TO HELP CIVILIANS AND DISCUSSION OF A MULTINATIONAL FORCE FOR THE ISRAELI-LEBANESE BORDER. HE CONDEMNED "FORCES IN THE REGION WORKING TO CREATE TENSION AND INSECURITY". WITH REPORTS OF NINE ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILLED IN LEBANON ON WEDNESDAY, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR NEAR EAST DAVID WELCH SAID A CEASEFIRE WAS A MATTER OF "SOME URGENCY". "BUT THE OBJECT HERE IS TO CREATE CONDITIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE CEASEFIRE," WELCH SAID EN ROUTE TO ROME. FRANCE BROUGHT THE OUTLINES OF A DRAFT U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION FOR A CEASEFIRE. FOREIGN MINISTER PHILIPPE DOUSTE-BLAZY TOLD FRENCH RADIO IT CALLED FOR "A CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES FIRST, FOR A POLITICAL NEGOTIATION AFTERWARDS". BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY MARGARET BECKETT SAID THE TALKS MUST HELP RESOLVE "THE TERRIBLE HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS" AND COME UP WITH A PLAN "TO BRING A DURABLE END TO HOSTILITIES". "WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE SHORING UP AND STRENGTHENING THE GOVERNMENT OF LEBANON RATHER THAN WEAKENING IT," SHE SAID. DELEGATES INCLUDED LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER FOUAD SINIORA, PLUS SAUDI ARABIA, JORDAN AND EGYPT AND EUROPEAN POWERS GERMANY, FRANCE AND BRITAIN, PLUS RUSSIA AND TURKEY AND THE UNITED NATIONS, EU AND WORLD BANK. ONE HIZBOLLAH LEADER SAID "WE ARE TIRED OF CONFERENCES THAT LEAD NOWHERE. WE HAVE SEEN TOO MANY OF THEM: MADRID, OSLO, CAMP DAVID, WYE PLANTATION AND OTHERS," HIZBOLLAH'S HUSSEIN HAJI HASSAN TOLD AN ITALIAN PAPER. "THE WAY AHEAD IS SIMPLE AND DOES NOT INVOLVE ROME. FIRST ISRAEL MUST CEASE ITS UNJUSTIFIED ATTACKS ON LEBANON. WE NEED AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE," HE TOLD CORRIERE DELLA SERA. THE ROME TALKS WERE EXPECTED TO FOCUS ON WHAT SORT OF NEW INTERNATIONAL FORCE COULD BE DEPLOYED IN LEBANON, WHERE AN EXISTING U.N. FORCE OF 2,000 TROOPS HAS STRUGGLED. ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MASSIMO D'ALEMA SAID THIS FORCE WOULD HAVE TO WORK UNDER "A U.N. MANDATE. WITH THE WORLD BANK PRESENT, THE CONFERENCE WAS EXPECTED TO KICK-START THE FINANCING PROCESS FOR REBUILDING LEBANON, WITH D'ALEMA SPEAKING OF "A DONORS' CONFERENCE AT SOME POINT", ACCORDING TO A REPORT OF REUTERS.
