He also said Lebanon would commence legal proceedings to make Israel compensate Lebanese people for the damage caused by its military strikes in southern Lebanon.

"Is the value of human rights in Lebanon less than that of citizens elsewhere? Are we children of a lesser God? Is an Israel teardrop worth more than a drop of Lebanese blood?" the Lebanese leader asked.

The fighting broke out on July 12 after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border clash.

The Israeli forces then launched a massive military assault, which has so far killed at least 418 people in Lebanon and left some half a million people displaced.

The Lebanese leader condemned Israel's punishing military response, saying it went beyond its right to defend itself.

Outlining his own plan to end the crisis, Saniora appealed to the UN Security Council for a commitment to place Shebaa Farms under UN control until final borders can be defined.

Israel still occupies the area it seized in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Under his plan, Saniora said his government could extend its authority over southern Lebanon and deploy government forces to the area and rid the zone of Hezbollah weaponry.

Further, Saniora also demanded that Israel give to the United Nations all remaining maps for land mines in south Lebanon.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and senior officials from 15 countries, including the United States, started the one-day conference in Rome to tackle the violence in the Middle East which shows no signs of abating.

International pressure on Israel to stop the offensive has intensified after an Israeli air raid on late Tuesday killed four UN observers.

Annan said in a statement that he was "shocked and deeply distressed" by the attack, adding that it was apparent "deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces."