Leaders Urge U.N. Troops For Mideast

(CBS/AP)  A senior U.N. envoy said Monday he will present Israel with "concrete ideas" to end the latest round of fighting after meeting with Lebanon's prime minister.

But Vijay Nambiar, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special political adviser, warned that "much diplomatic work needs to be done."

He did not elaborate on the ideas and said he will go to Israel shortly. He expressed optimism over the U.N. team's efforts in ending the violence, sparked by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers last week.

"We have made some promising first efforts on the way forward," he said after meeting with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. He added that time was an important factor and that "creative solutions have to be found in order to prevent a broadening and deepening of the crisis."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday called for the deployment of international forces in southern Lebanon to enforce a peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would consider contributing troops, and the European Union announced it was considering a peacekeeping force as well.

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said a cease-fire, followed by a prisoner swap would be acceptable and fair. Israel has demanded the freeing of its soldiers before any talk of a halt in fighting.

"My team discussed concrete ideas with the Lebanese authorities," Nambiar said. "We will convey these ideas for further discussions as developments warrant," he said, adding it may become necessary to return to Lebanon "to explore these ideas further."

"These are first steps and much diplomatic work needs to be done before we arrive at any grounds for optimism," he said.

However, the envoy warned that "the consequences of failure could indeed be grave."

Nambiar, leading a U.N. team, met with Saniora on Sunday and called for the release of captured Israeli soldiers, the protection of civilians and infrastructure, and he expressed support for Lebanon's appeal for a cease-fire.

The escalating violence in the Middle Eat overshadowed the G-8 summit of world leaders in Russia, where President Bush, not realizing his remarks were being picked up by a microphone, bluntly expressed his frustration with Hezbollah, a militant Islamic group believed backed by Iran and Syria.

"See the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over," Mr. Bush told British Prime Minister Tony Blair in a discussion before the Group of Eight leaders began their final lunch.

Mr. Bush also suggested that Annan call Syrian President Bashar Assad to "make something happen."

"The fact that world leaders were all present at the G-8 meeting makes it probable that troops will be dispatched without delay for a multinational security force," said CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk.

"And the fact that the U.N. was successful in getting Syrian troops out of Lebanon in the past adds to their credibility in the region," Falk said.

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