Rice in Lebanon

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew to Lebanon yesterday and insisted Hizbollah must release two Israeli soldiers and pull back from the border before any ceasefire, Lebanese politicians said.

Ms Rice extended sympathy to the government in Beirut, a city pounded repeatedly by Israeli air strikes since the 13-day-old war began, but offered little hope for an immediate end to the conflict.

"Thank you for your courage and steadfastness," she told Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who has pleaded for an immediate ceasefire.

But Ms Rice later told Shi'ite Muslim Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is an ally of Hizbollah and is also close to Syria, that "the situation on the border cannot return to what it was before July 12," a Lebanese political source said.

Ms Rice was referring to the day Hizbollah captured the two Israeli soldiers. The source quoted her as saying there would be no ceasefire before Hizbollah freed the pair unconditionally and pulled its forces back about 20 km from the border.

Israel, where Ms Rice arrived later yesterday has set identical conditions for an end to fighting that has cost 377 dead in Lebanon and at least 39 Israeli lives in 13 days.

"The tone of the meeting was very negative," the Lebanese source said.

Another source said Ms Rice had also proposed deployment of the Lebanese army on the border, backed by an international force.

Shortly after she left Lebanon, the White House reiterated its opposition to an immediate ceasefire. " I think the notion that you have a ceasefire at this point is unenforceable and does not really get us to the point we need to be at," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

Mr Snow also told reporters that Ms Rice would announce a " significant US commitment in terms of humanitarian aid" to the Lebanese people caught up in the conflict.

" I am deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they are enduring," Ms Rice told reporters before meeting Mr Berri.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said earlier he hoped a peace plan would emerge in days that could lead to a ceasefire.

Mr Siniora told Ms Rice that the Israeli bombing had displaced 750,000 people in Lebanon, almost one-fifth of the population, and inflicted multi-billion dollar loses to the economy, a statement from his office said. Jan Egeland, the UN emergency relief coordinator, said this was " the hour of greatest need for the Lebanese people" as he launched a UN appeal for $150 million in aid.