Bush, Blair warn Syria, Iran over Lebanon

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared Friday that a multinational force should be dispatched quickly to help Lebanon regain control of the southern part of its country from the Hezbollah militia.

However, the two leaders again stopped short of supporting an immediate ceasefire in the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, which Arab and European leaders have been urging.

As Middle East violence raged for a 17th day, Bush and Blair said at a White House news conference that the makeup of the multinational force would be discussed at a UN meeting Monday called by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The force would both lead to stability and help speed the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, they said.

Bush said he was sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice back to the Middle East this weekend to help negotiate terms for such a force with both Lebanese and Israeli leaders.

"This is a moment of intense conflict in the Middle East," Bush said, standing alongside Blair in the East Room. "Yet, our aim is to turn it into a moment of opportunity and a chance for broader change in the region."

"We agree that a multinational force must be dispatched to Lebanon quickly to augment a Lebanese army as it moves to the south of that country," Bush said.

Both Tehran and Damascus have been accused of supporting, funding and arming the Shia Hezbollah militia in Lebanon in the conflict with Israel while there is continued global disquiet about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were asked what their message was to both countries after they met for 90 minutes at the White House to discuss the crisis.

"Give up your nuclear weapons and your nuclear weapons ambitions. That's my message to Iran," Bush told a news conference, urging Syria to become an "active participant" in the search for peace.

For his part, Blair said both countries had a "perfectly simple" choice.

"They may think they can avoid those choices. In fact they can't," he said.

"They can either come in and participate as proper and responsible members of the international community, or they will face the risk of increasing confrontation."