Five Muslim countries denounced Israel's offensive in Lebanon yesterday, calling for an immediate halt to the hostilities.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan held hastily called talks on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Kuala Lumpur to discuss "their grave concern over the deteriorating situation and unabated violence" in Lebanon and occupied Palestinian territories, according to a joint statement.

"The ministers strongly condemned Israel's military actions and indiscriminate and excessive use of force," the statement said. The countries "called for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire."

The talks were arranged after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur's invitation.

"We are all very concerned about what is happening in the Middle East. There is no other issue more important right now," Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, told The Associated Press.

Solana said he envisaged few difficulties in obtaining a resolution that would define the objectives and structure of the force.

"I have not spoken with all the members of the Security Council but I have spoken with a good number of the permanent members," he said. The five permanent members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

"I have a good feeling that the position is very open in the Security Council to have a resolution in that direction," he told a press conference at the end of a regional security meeting here.

An international force for Lebanon was "something which shouldn't have in principle a lot of difficulties to be written down," he said. "The sooner, the better."

Foreign ministers from the European Union are to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the Middle East crisis.

"We need first a resolution that has to define politically the objective of the force, and at the same time we have to have the force ready," he said. "We have to do both things at the same time."

Solana said a number of countries at the meeting here had expressed interest in participating, including Malaysia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

He said Thursday that the EU would be willing to contribute peacekeeping force. "What is important is to get a ceasefire as soon as possible," Solana said.

"We are going to consider now first a humanitarian component but without a political settlement, a ceasefire, it will be very difficult to do it," he said.

Earlier French President Jacques Chirac said yesterday that he wanted the adoption of a UN resolution "as quickly as possible" calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

"The president of the Republic wants France to work towards the adoption of a Security Council resolution as quickly as possible stating the commitment of the international community to an immediate ceasefire based on a political agreement supported by the deployment of an international force under UN mandate," said a statement from Chirac's office.

On Friday, Chirac convened a mini cabinet meeting to discuss the Israel-Lebanon crisis attended by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.

The statement said that Chirac had underlined "the urgency of humanitarian corridors on land and at sea to ensure that aid gets rapidly and safely to the civilian population".

Documents obtained from the French foreign ministry on Thursday showed that France has presented a three-pronged strategy to its UN Security Council partners to end the Middle East conflict, which has claimed the lives of an estimated 426 people in Lebanon.