International pressure for a swift cease-fire in Lebanon mounted this evening as European countries said Israel's partial pause in air strikes was not enough and Russia called for an immediate stop to hostilities
Israel agreed a 48-hour halt to air strikes unless it felt threatened, after an air strike killed at least 54 people in a Lebanese village early yesterday, but said it would step up its drive against Hizbollah guerrillas until an international force was deployed in south Lebanon.
Russia said Sunday's tragedy showed it was time to stop the fighting.
"It is impossible to accept the logic and arguments of those who, under various pretexts, are dragging out (the declaration of a) cease-fire, especially as the international community is coming to a consensus on the framework for resolving the Israeli-Lebanese conflict," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
France, Germany and Italy acknowledged Israel's temporary halt to air strikes but said more was needed.
"It's a very small step ... that in a moment as dramatic as this is a motive for hope", said Italian Foreign Minister Massimo d'Alema in Jerusalem after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Ms Rice.
"Now the objective is to pass from the (halt in the bombing) to a cease-fire, to the deployment of an international force and therefore to the beginning of an effective peace and stabilisation process," he said.
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said an international stabilisation force could be deployed only once a cease-fire and a clear political road map had been agreed.
The difficulties were underlined when a UN meeting to plan a peacekeeping force was postponed indefinitely.
"The aim is not to set up a trap for ourselves that would be a real tragedy for the international community," Mr Villepin said. "We would ruin the international process we are trying to put into effect."