President George W. Bush said on Monday he would push for UN action this week on ending the fighting in southern Lebanon but again resisted pushing for an immediate cease-fire despite growing pressure after a deadly Israeli air strike.
A day after the bombing in the Lebanese village of Qana killed 54 people including dozens of children, Bush said he mourned the loss of life and said he wanted a solution that would address the root cause of Middle East violence.
"We're going to work with our allies to bring before the United Nations Security Council a resolution that will end the violence and lay the groundwork for lasting peace in the Middle East," Bush said in a speech at the Port of Miami.
The speech was part of a two-day swing through Florida originally meant to focus on domestic issues like immigration, port security and the economy. But those topics were overshadowed by the Israel-Lebanon crisis.
International calls for an immediate cease-fire have mounted since the Qana bombing, which further fuelled anger in the Arab world over the 20-day-old war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday, who helped secure a 48-hour partial break in the Israeli air campaign, was returning from the Middle East to push for a UN Security Council resolution on a permanent cease-fire. She was expected to brief Bush when he returns to Washington later in the day.
While calling on Israel to show more restraint, the United States has said Hezbollah is to blame for the violence which was triggered after the Shia militia captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.
"As we work with friends and allies, it's important to remember this crisis began with Hezbollah's unprovoked terrorist attack against Israel," Bush said. "Israel is exercising its right to defend itself and we mourn the loss of innocent life."
Bush, who labels Heizbollah a terrorist group, has described the Israel-Lebanon conflict as part of the broader global war on terrorism.
Momentum toward a quick cease-fire appeared to be set back at the United Nations when a special meeting to plan a new peace-keeping force for Lebanon was indefinitely postponed.
A UN official said the meeting, which had been scheduled for Monday afternoon, was put off until there was "more political clarity" on how to end the violence. Organisers hoped to reschedule the meeting later this week.
A UN resolution drafted by France says a force should only be deployed after Israel and Lebanon have "agreed in principle" on a framework for a permanent cease-fire.
Bush has insisted a cease-fire package must include steps to compel Hezbollah to stop attacking Israel while putting pressure on Syria and Iran to stop arming Hezbollah with rockets and other weapons.
He accused Iran of supplying weapons and financial support to Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon and called on Tehran to stop the practice. He also took aim at Syria.
"Iran must end its financial support and supply of weapons to terrorist groups like Hezbollah," Bush said, adding: "Syria must end its support for terror and respect the sovereignty of Lebanon." Bush suggested that "an eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces" could be part of a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.