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Israel says diplomacy moving forward to end crisisIsraeli officials meet with U.N. team
 Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says Israel is moving forward with diplomacy to end the Mideast crisis. RELATED
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSJERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel began moving forward Tuesday on a diplomatic effort to end the conflict in the Middle East, Israel's foreign minister said. Tzipi Livni make clear that in addition to a cease-fire, Israel wants its abducted soldiers returned unharmed and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon disarmed. After meeting with the special U.N. team dispatched to the region, Livni told reporters, "There is comprehensive agreement that a cease-fire alone is not enough, but also the unconditional return of the [abducted] soldiers and the full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 [is needed] in order to keep Hezbollah from establishing itself as the regional provocateur." Resolution 1559, adopted in 2004, calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, and the disarmament and disbanding of all militias in the country. Livni met with a United Nations delegation headed by special envoy Vijay Nambiar. Israeli media reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert unexpectedly joined the meeting after saying publicly he would not do so. The U.N. team has also met with Lebanese government officials, and team members have said concrete proposals to end the fighting have been presented to both sides. Despite the diplomatic moves, cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants continued for a seventh day Tuesday. (Full story) Livni said the military operation will continue as diplomatic efforts move forward. Fighting began when Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers in a raid into northern Israel on July 12. After a week of Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket attacks, Israel has reported 25 deaths, and Lebanese authorities have said 183 people have been killed. Hezbollah has demanded that Israel exchange Lebanese prisoners in its jails for the captured soldiers. (Watch Hezbollah journalist explain what Hezbollah wants -- 2:13) Israel has rejected calls for a prisoner exchange. Nouhad Mahmoud, Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations, said a cease-fire would be necessary before the kidnapped Israelis could be returned. Mahmoud said Lebanese authorities might be able to persuade the Shiite militia, which holds seats in Lebanon's parliament and government, to release the men -- but could not force Hezbollah to free them. President Bush called Hezbollah the root cause of the situation in remarks to reporters Tuesday, and said the militants must be confronted. "I strongly believe every nation ought to be able to defend itself from terrorist attacks," he said. But he urged Israel to be mindful not to undermine the Lebanese government, which formed just over a year ago with the first elections held after 20 years of a Syrian military presence. "It's in our interest for Syria to stay out of Lebanon," Bush said. Bush also spoke to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, calling the king at his request, according to a White House official. During the conversation, the king expressed his concern about the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, and the two leaders agreed efforts should be made to assist displaced Lebanese in need. King Abdullah will meet French President Jacques Chirac in Paris on Wednesday to focus on Lebanon. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday there should be a cease-fire in the Middle East "when conditions are conducive to do so." Rice made her comments to reporters after meeting at the State Department with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abdul Gheit. "We all want a cessation of violence, we all want the protection of civilians. We have to make certain that anything we do is going to be of lasting value. The Middle East has been through too many spasms of violence. We have to deal with underlying conditions so we can create sustainable conditions for political progress there." Gheit was pithier in his comments: "A cease-fire is imperative and we have to keep working to that objective," he said. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called Tuesday for establishing an international force in Lebanon that is larger and stronger than a long-established U.N. peacekeeping force in the country, The Associated Press reported. (Full story) Livni said Israel is willing to consider an international force in Lebanon, at least for a short time. She said Israel would prefer the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon, but added, "we will consider other solutions put forward." Later Tuesday, Rice also planned to meet with Patriarch Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, the head of the influential Maronite Catholic Church and one of Lebanon's most senior religious figures, Lebanese diplomatic sources and State Department officials said. Sfeir also was scheduled to meet with Vice President Dick Cheney and deputy national security adviser J.D. Crouch, and to hold a Mass for peace in Washington. As the most senior Christian leader in Lebanon, Sfeir is considered a voice of tolerance in Lebanon and a unifying personality among Christians and Muslims in the country. CNN's Avivit Dalgoshen contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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