BEIRUT, Lebanon - The Lebanese prime minister rejected a U.N. cease-fire plan 
backed by US President Bush, demanding on Monday that Israel immediately pull 
out from southern Lebanon even before a peacekeeping force arrives to act as a 
buffer between Hezbollah and the Jewish state. 
 
 
   Lebanese Prime 
 Minister Fuad Siniora (R) waves to Arab foreign ministers as they leave 
 following their meeting in Beirut, while Education Minister Khaled Qabbani 
 (L) and Health Minister Mohammed Khalefeh stand next to him. Siniora won 
 the backing of Arab foreign ministers for his plan to end the conflict 
 between Hezbollah and Israel, amid strong opposition from the Lebanese 
 government to a UN draft resolution seeking to halt the 
 violence.[AFP] | 
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's stand, delivered in a tearful speech to Arab 
foreign ministers, came on a day in which 49 Lebanese were killed, one of the 
deadliest days for Lebanese in nearly four weeks of fighting. 
His Cabinet, which includes two Hezbollah ministers, voted unanimously to 
send 15,000 troops to stand between Israel and Hezbollah should a cease-fire 
take hold and Israeli forces withdraw south of the border. The move was an 
attempt to show that Lebanon has the will and ability to assert control over its 
south, which is run by Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite Muslim militia backed by 
Syria and Iran. 
In Texas, Bush said any cease-fire must prevent Hezbollah from strengthening 
its grip in southern Lebanon, asserting "it's time to address root causes of 
problems." He urged the United Nations to work quickly to approve a U.S.-French 
draft resolution to stop the hostilities. 
Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have sharply intensified in recent days 
as cease-fire diplomacy gains traction after nearly a month of unproductive 
talks. The cease-fire plan now under scrutiny at the United Nations has drawn 
only lukewarm support in Israel and vilification in the Arab world. Neither 
Israel nor Hezbollah has found an incentive to stop fighting, and both may be 
trying to gain advantage on the ground before a cease-fire. 
At least 52 people died Monday on both sides. Hezbollah fired 160 rockets, 
wounding five Israelis, police and rescue services said. Three Israeli soldiers 
were killed in combat in south Lebanon, the first in an exchange of fire with 
Hezbollah fighters and the two others by an anti-tank missile, the Israeli army 
said. 
With Arab League foreign ministers assembled around a horseshoe table, the 
embattled Lebanese leader repeatedly interrupted his opening address to gather 
his composure and wipe away tears. The foreign ministers cast their eyes 
downward in apparent embarrassment. 
But Saniora's impassioned appeal did not change minds in Israel, where 
hospitals in the war zone were working around the clock and under rocket fire to 
protect patients from harm - in some cases moving them into a basement. The 
defense minister threatened an expanded ground operation if diplomacy does not 
produce results soon. 
"I gave an order that, if within the coming days the diplomatic process does 
not reach a conclusion, Israeli forces will carry out the operations necessary 
to take control of rocket launching sites wherever they are," Israeli Defense 
Minister Amir Peretz said. 
Justice Minister Haim Ramon said Israel could not withdraw before the arrival 
of an international force. "The moment we leave, Hezbollah will return."