Bush, Blair urge multinational force to control Mideast fighting

(Jim Young/Reuters)
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Friday they want an international force dispatched quickly to the Mideast but said any plan to end the fighting must address long-running regional disputes to be effective. The leaders, standing side by side in the White House’s East Room after meeting in the Oval Office, said they want to see a U.N. resolution introduced next week. It is aimed at ending the more than 2-week-old battle between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. Also, Bush announced he was sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice back to the region Saturday to negotiate the terms.