UN team urges rapid international West Asia force

MADRID, July 19 (Reuters) A U.N. West Asian crisis team today said the international community had to quickly deploy troops to Lebanon to stop escalation of fighting that could destabilise the region.

Speaking in Madrid, the U.N. envoys said it was too early to express optimism after their talks with Israeli and Arab leaders and urged a rapid increase in international military forces in Lebanon to defuse the conflict.

''We are in a hurry and this has to happen fast,'' said U.N.

special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen at a news briefing at Spain's foreign ministry.

The team was in Spain because the Spanish government provided the aircraft it used to hold three days of talks in Cairo, Beirut, Jerusalem and Ghaza.

The crisis team is set to brief U.N Secretary-General Kofi Annan ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting tomorrow to discuss the crisis.

''Despite the fact we see it escalating, and the level of destruction has been enormous, we hope to draw up some of the political frameworks,'' said Vijay Nambiar, a special adviser to Annan who is part of the crisis team.

Roed-Larsen said countries discussing an increase in international troops in Lebanon had yet to make up their minds on the type and size of force needed. Alternatives included an increase in an existing U.N. mission in Lebanon and a new non-U.N.

multinational force, he said.

He said proposals for the force would be made after the meeting of the Security Council.

Roed-Larsen said plans for an international force existed on paper but would only become a reality once countries stepped forward and contributed troops.

''This is an issue that has to be addressed, it is very complex, but it has to be done in a very speedy manner,'' he said.

REUTERS PKS PC2226