As Western and Arab officials jetted in for Wednesday's emergency conference on Lebanon, they face an almost insurmountable task of brokering an immediate cease-fire between Israel and south Lebanon-based Hezbullah.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Tuesday that the major objective of the Rome conference would be securing a cease-fire.

But he stopped short of desiring an "immediate" cease-fire, which is not supported by Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has been in a trip in the Middle East in the past two days, has indicated that an immediate cease-fire is not desired by the United States.

"Any peace is going to have to be based on enduring principles and not on temporary solutions," she said in Israel on Tuesday. In her surprise visit to the Lebanese capital Beirut on Monday, she asked for conditions for a cease-fire which, in the eyes of Lebanese officials, were similar to those of Israel.

Neither Israel nor Syria, which is accused of backing Hezbullah, has been invited to Wednesday's conference, making an immediate cease-fire all the more unobtainable.

Wednesday's conference would also seek agreement on the deployment of a UN force that would keep Hezbullah away from the Israeli border and address the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel 's relentless attacks on Lebanese civilian targets and infrastructure.

The humanitarian issue might be the easiest to tackle as Israel has agreed to open air and ground corridors to allow humanitarian aid to reach Lebanese victims.

In the fighting that has lasted almost two weeks, over 400 Lebanese people have been killed, most of them civilians. Forty-two Israelis have also lost their lives in Hezbullah rocket attacks on northern Israeli towns and cities.

The conflict started after Hezbullah captured two Israeli soldiers on July 12 and held them captive.

Infrastructure damage in south Lebanon has sparked a severe humanitarian crisis on the ground. The World Health Organization says the region is short of fuel which has become vital as Israeli attacks have cut off normal power supply. Medicines are also badly needed in hospitals.

The White House ordered its first shipment of humanitarian aid to Lebanon on Monday. Saudi Arabia has also pledged to give the Lebanese government 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. The European Union (EU) was among the first to act, pledging initial aid worth 10 million euros (12.5 million dollars).

Washington has been pushing for the deployment of a UN force in the south of Lebanon to stop Hezbullah attacks on northern Israel. But it may face pressure from Arab countries who would demand an immediate cease-fire before the deployment of such a force.

Arabs will insist on an immediate cease-fire and for the Lebanese government to take control over Hezbullah at Wednesday's meeting, Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-Illah al-Khatib said. German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung also said a cease-fire must be in place before any international troops are deployed in Lebanon.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who will lead a Lebanese delegation to the conference, said Tuesday that he would press for an immediate halt of Israeli hostilities in his country. Wednesday's conference is expected to attract minister from 15 countries and representatives of the United Nations, the EU and the World Bank.

Apart from EU member states, participating countries include the United States, Russia, Canada and Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Rice, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz will attend the one-day conference.