Bush still opposed to ME ceasefire

A Lebanese man walks amidst rubble at his destroyed southern Beirut neighbourhood yesterday following Israeli air strikes. The Israeli air force is under orders to blast 10 buildings in south Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, for every rocket the Shia militant group fires at the Israeli port of Haifa, army radio said yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Saudi King Abdullah beseeched Bush to intervene in Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the death toll is approaching 400 after less than two weeks of bombing. Abdullah's request was hand-delivered to Bush by Saudi officials who requested a meeting Sunday at the White House.

"We requested a cease-fire to allow for a cessation of hostilities," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters as he departed the West Wing.

"I have brought a letter from the Saudi king to stop the bleeding in Lebanon, and there has been an agreement to save Lebanese lives, Lebanese properties and what the Lebanese have built, and to save this country from the ordeal it is facing," Saud said.

Saud's comment reflected Bush's past statements that all want the violence to stop. But Bush has refused to press for an immediate ceasefire.

"Our position on an immediate cease-fire is well known and has not changed," said White House national security spokesman Frederick Jones.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also participated in the Oval Office meeting before departing for Israel in the first US diplomatic effort on the ground since Israel began bombing Lebanon on July 12. The fighting has killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel.

On the way to a refuelling stop in Ireland, Rice discussed the possibility of working with Syria to resolve the crisis. In recent weeks, the Bush administration has blamed Syria, along with Iran, for stoking the recent violence by encouraging Hezbollah to attack northern Israel.

"The problem isn't that people haven't talked to the Syrians. It's that the Syrians haven't acted," she said.

"It's not as if we don't have diplomatic relations," she said. "We do."

Officials from the United Nations, Europe and other Arab countries have already urged an end to the fighting. Rice and Bush have rejected calls for an immediate cease-fire, saying it does not make sense if the terrorist threat from Hezbollah is not addressed. They have said Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorism and Hezbollah must return two captured Israeli soldiers and stop firing missiles and rockets into Israel if they want the fighting to stop.

For years, the Saudis have been among the United States' closest allies in the Arab world, despite strains from US pressures aimed at increasing democracy in the conservative kingdom.

Nail al-Jubeir, a Saudi embassy spokesman, said the Saudis would not release the letter or get into other details of the proposal because it was a private communication between Abdullah and Bush. Asked whether the Saudis requested that Bush directly pressure Israeli leaders for a cease-fire, al-Jubeir said they cannot tell the president whom to telephone. But he noted Bush has a unique influence to negotiate with Israel.