Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Argentina on Monday called for the reduction of tension in the Middle East as Israel continued its military offensives against Lebanon and Palestine, which have killed hundreds and left half a million people displaced.

The four nations voiced their support for an international peacekeeping force to be sent to the war-affected region.

Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos called for Syria and Iran to work with the international community in defusing tension in the region, following a meeting with Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal.

He also spoke by telephone with Ali Lariyani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, urging him to use his influence to seek a ceasefire by Hezbollah, a Lebanese guerilla group at the heart of the conflict.

Condoleezza Rice, the United States secretary of state who was visiting the Middle East as part of the effort to find a solution to the crisis, had asked Moratinos to talk to Syria and Iran about the issue of Hezbollah, but without giving Hezbollah any sense of support.

Israeli air bombardments of Lebanon have left at least 370 dead and many hundreds more injured, as well as causing serious damage to the Lebanese infrastructure. Attacks by Hezbollah have also killed at least 37 Israelis.

Portugal asked the European Union to hold an emergency meeting on the situation in the Middle East, stressing the "increased military confrontations, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation" in the region.

Brazil and Argentina expressed support for sending troops to the region. Brazil's foreign minister said Brazil would contribute troops to a United Nations peacekeeping mission, provided that the UN Security Council properly mandated it.

Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said on a TV broadcast, "we first have to see what the Security Council says, but Brazil has already contributed to other peacekeeping missions, including in the Middle East, and could do so again."

Argentina said it was willing to send "white helmets" troops to do humanitarian work, but sending Argentine troops depended on the general security conditions in the region.

In contrast, Venezuela opposed the idea of sending more troops to the Middle East. Foreign minister Jose Vicente Rangel said "whatever brings more conflict to the region and increases the military power there is counter productive."

Rangel proposed humanitarian help for the region, but did not say what measures he thought should be carried out.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez had condemned Israel's use of force, which he described as "indiscriminate" and said he was worried that militarism in the Middle East could spiral out of control.

As Israeli troops continued to battle their way to a key Hezbollah stronghold in south Lebanon on Monday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday he wanted this week's meeting of key Middle East players to agree on a package to stop the Israeli-Hezbollah fighting.

In the short-term, urgent measures were needed to halt the violence and get humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of Lebanese uprooted by the Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities, he said.

In the long-term, he said, there must be a ceasefire, the deployment of an international force as a buffer on the Israel-Lebanon border, and the release of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah.

The meeting on Wednesday in Rome will be attended by countries and organizations which have been trying to help Lebanon's reconstruction and economic, political and social reforms.

The participants will be Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the World Bank, the European Union, France, Russia, Britain, the United States and Italy.