Saturday, July 29 2006 14:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: US President Geeorge W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for the deployment of a multinational force in Lebanon and were hoping for a UN resolution backing the mission as early as next week.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will return to the Middle East this weekend to meet with Lebanese and Israeli leaders to get their support for a force that would also assist with the humanitarian effort and help the Lebanese government assert control over the country.

"Rice's instructions are to work with Israel and Lebanon to come up with an acceptable UN Security Council resolution that we can table next week," Bush said.

Bush and Blair met at the White House Friday as the conflict in Lebanon was in its third week and the death toll in Lebanon exceeded 600. Israel launched a large-scale military assault on Lebanon after Hezbollah militants based in the country killed eight and abducted two Israeli soldiers July 12.

The two men have been united in blaming Hezbollah for the crisis and have been reluctant to endorse an immediate ceasefire over concerns it would do little to reduce the possibility of violence breaking out in the future. Their position has put them at odds with some European and Arab governments.

The US and Britain instead want a solution that will bring about a lasting peace and have seemed willing to give Israel time to neutralise Hezbollah.

"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," Bush said.

Blair and Bush called for the disarmament of Hezbollah under UN Security Council resolution 1559 passed last year and Blair emphasised that Hezbollah will have to accept the presence of a multinational force.

"Hezbollah have got to appreciate that if they stand out against that, then it's not merely that they will be doing a huge disservice to the people of Lebanon, but they will also, again, face the fact that action will have to be taken against them," Blair said.

"What is happening in the Middle East at the moment is a complete tragedy for Lebanon, for Israel and for the wider region. And the scale of destruction is very clear," Blair said.

Blair arrived at the White House seeking to create a unified plan to resolve the conflict. Both leaders also called on Syria and Iran to stop meddling in Lebanon and to use their influence with Hezbollah to secure the return of the two Israeli soldiers.

"Iran and Syria have a choice. And they may think that they can avoid this choice. In fact, they can't," Blair said.

Blair's visit is the second in three months to the White House and comes less than two weeks after the leaders met at the Group of Eight (G8) summit in St Petersburg.

Bush said there will be meetings next week to examine which countries could contribute peacekeepers.