ISRAEL: Italian Foreign Minister Massimo d'Alema continues meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo d'Alema continued his scheduled meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Monday (July 31) amid talks over a possible ceasefire between Hizbollah guerrillas and Israel. D'Alema visited Jerusalem's Holocaust memorial museum where he laid a wreath on behalf of the Italian government. D'Alema then met Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat where they discussed the current crisis in Lebanon and Gaza. His meetings with officials came as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said earlier that she believed a ceasefire with Lebanon could be forged this week. But Israel plans to step up its offensive against Hizbollah guerrillas until an international force deploys in south Lebanon, despite the calls for an immediate truce, officials said on Monday. Israel's three-week offensive in Lebanon has killed around 578 people, mostly civilians. Lebanese Health Minister Mohammad Khalifeh put the number of unrecovered bodies at 200, which would take the death toll to 750 in Lebanon. Fifty-one Israelis have also been killed.

ITN Source | August 1, 2006

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