Egypt has stressed the importance of Israel's withdrawal from the lands it has occupied in Lebanon immediately. It called on the United Nations and the parties taking part in the international troops to dispatch these troops as soon as possible to Lebanon. Egypt asserted that disarming Hezbollah is a domestic Lebanese concern in which nobody should interfere.

This came in statements by Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and his Italian counterpart Massimo D'Alema following the latter's talks with President Mubarak. Abul Gheit said talks touched on the situation in the Middle East in general and the Lebanese issue, the Palestinian cause and the Iraqi issue in particular. He said talks also dealt with the future of the region.

Answering a question on whether Egypt would take part in the international troops which would be deployed in south Lebanon, Abul Gheit said Egypt would not provide troops for disengagement between Israel and an Arab country. On his part, the Italian Foreign Minister called for transferring ceasefire in Lebanon into a permanent peace adding that Italy would send humanitarian aid and would take part in Lebanon's reconstruction.

D'Alema said Italy would send a 3000- man force to the international troops, calling on all parties to fulfill their obligations under the Security Council resolution 1701. He said war in Lebanon demonstrated that the military force cannot settle any issue, rather its use can only fuel extremism and terrorism.

The Italian Foreign Minister also called for finding a solution through negotiations to guarantee the rights of peoples and Israel's security. He said the issue of Lebanese should not overshadow a more dangerous thorny issue, namely the Palestinian cause.

He indicated that Egypt and Italy would work for achieving a just and durable peace especially for the Palestinians. He expressed hope that an international resolution would be adopted for supporting efforts exerted on the Palestinian track and the dispatch of a United Nations force to Gaza. He said Italy sought to convince the Israelis that Israel would not be capable of establishing security without having the Palestinians enjoy peace.

Answering a question on Italy's mediation in exchanging prisoners between Hezbollah and Israel, he said Italy has no plans to play the role of mediator indicating that so long as the conflict ended, there would be no role for mediators.

D'Alema reiterated that the parties concerned should implement the UN Security Council resolution 1701 and Hezbollah should release the two Israeli prisoners. "I believe that Israel would later release prisoners", he added.