Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday held talks with visiting Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema on the latest developments in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, the official MENA news agency reported.

At a joint press conference with Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit after the meeting, D'Alema said that his meeting with Mubarak showed that the two countries shared many identical views on the Mideast issues.

Italy was satisfied with the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 passed unanimously on Friday night, which has put an end to the tragic month-long conflict in Lebanon, said D'Alema, who arrived here on Monday evening for a two-day visit.

The Italian top diplomat said that his country was committed tonot only offering aid to war-torn Lebanon, but also dispatching forces as part of the international forces to be deployed in south Lebanon according to the UN Resolution.

He noted that the Italian force might include 3,000 soldiers but this was not final, adding that the exact number of participants will be determined in agreement with other participating countries.

According to the agreement, no armed forces except the Lebanese army and the international force should be present in the area between the Litani river and the UN Blue Line, said D'Alema, implicating that Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah should be excluded in the area.

For his part, Abul Gheit said that Israeli forces must get out of these territories as quickly as possible in accordance with Resolution 1701.

Resolution 1701 calls for the deployment of Lebanese army and the UN Interim Force in southern Lebanon but any talk about disarming Hezbollah was certainly an internal Lebanese matter, Abul Gheit said, adding that it was important to maintain the national unity of Lebanon.

Abul Gheit also said that Egypt will not take part in any force separating between Israel and an Arab country.

As for the two Israeli soldiers seized by Hezbollah on July 12,which triggered the conflict, Abul-Gheit said that there were many Arab reservations on UN resolution 1701 on the issue of the captives.

"How can we ask Hezbollah to hand over the two Israeli soldiers and do not ask Israel to free Lebanese prisoners in return?" he asked, calling for an exchange of prisoners.

D'Alema, for his part, said that Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who maintained close contact with Hezbollah, has guaranteed him the exchange of prisoners.

He noted that the Hezbollah-Israel conflict proved once again that problems could not be settled via military force and that using force would lead to more terrorism.

In addition, D'Alema underlined the international community should not forget the Palestinian cause because of the Lebanese crisis.

He called for enhancing reconciliation among Palestinian factions, return of the abducted Israeli soldier, stopping rocket attacks on Israel, ending Israeli occupation of lands in the Gaza Strip and resuming peace negotiations on the basis of the roadmap.