Rice to leave Sunday for Mideast, warns 'no quick fix'

Just two days beforeembarking on the first American effort to end fighting in the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice laid out a series ofproposalsfor a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Hezbollahconflict, but said a ceasefire was not yet viable.

Ricesaid Israel must take all possible care to avoid harming innocent civilians and infrastructure while exercising what she called its right of self-defence.

However,"it's important to remember that the cause of the current violence was Hezbollah's illegal attack from Lebanese territory," she added.

"It is unacceptable to have a situation where the decision of a terrorist group can drag an entire country, even an entire region, into violence."

Ricedismissed calls for an immediate end to the fighting.

"A ceasefire would be a false promise if it simply returns us to the status quo, allowing terrorists to launch attacks at the time and terms of their choosing, and to threaten innocent people, Arab and Israeli, throughout the region," she said.

"That would be a guarantee of further violence."

Mideast summit Wednesday in Rome

The Bush administrationhas consistentlyrefused to call for a ceasefire because it says Israel needs time to deal with Hezbollah.

European and American press reports have said that Washington is giving Israel a week to 10 days to eliminate the military threat from Hezbollahbefore issuing a ceasefire call.

Rice made her comments in Washingtonbeforebeginning a first trip abroad to try to end the fighting.She isalso expected at a meeting in Rome next Wednesday that will bring together Israel, Lebanon, the European Union, the UN and others interested in Middle East peace.

Among ideas she mentioned:

• An expanded international peace force in southern Lebanon, from which Hezbollah has launched rockets and cross-border raids.
• Deployment of the Lebanese army to all parts of the country.
• A series of "humanitarian corridors" todeliver aid to people trapped by the fighting.

Israel has responded positively to the idea of aid corridors, she said, but gaveno details of how they mightwork.

Speaking to CBC's The National, a special UN envoy on the Middle East, Terje Roed Larson, said an international force in Lebanon would have to be "robust" and able to enforce its writ, along with the Lebanese army.

He said such a force could be an enhanced version of the current UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, created in 1978 after an Israeli invasion.

Roed-Larson said "some form of cessation of hostilities" is essential so that captives can be protected,civilian casualties reduced and aid delivered.