As one of Hezbollah's strongest international supporters, many had hoped that Syria could be a partner in delivering peace between Israel and the Lebanon-based Islamic extremist group. But comments made by the country's president, Bashar Assad, muted those hopes on Tuesday. Speaking in harsh tones, Assad said his country would not accept the stationing of troops from a United Nations security force along the border between Syria and Lebanon. Speaking to a Dubai television station, Assad described the plans as a "hostile act," according to the news agency Agence France Presse, which obtained a transcript in advance of the broadcast.

Israel is demanding that the planned 15,000-strong security force maintain the cease-fire and patrol border points to ensure that weapons aren't delivered to Hezbollah through Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Edud Olmert has said that having troops there would enable Israeli to end its air and sea blockade of Lebanon. The UN special representative in the region, Terje Roed-Larsen, said on Tuesday there had been signals that Lebanon may ask for help in controlling its border checkpoints.

Assad is also demanding that Israel withdraw its troops from the disputed Shebaa Farms region on the border between Lebanon and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights as called for in a UN resolution. That, he said, would be a precondition before any final borders can be drawn. The resolution calls for Lebanon's final borders to be set, but Shebaa Farms has been occupied by Israel since 1967. "Hezbollah's victory is sufficient," Assad said, "to teach Israel the lesson that it has failed to isolate Syria." The Syrian leader said there was still a chance to deliver peace in the Middle East, but that the window of opportunity would close in the coming weeks or months.

Europe to make troop commitments

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is planning to travel to the region this weekend in order to push the implementation of the cease-fire resolution forward. Talks are planned with Lebanon and Israel as well as Syria and Iran. On Friday, the eve of his trip, Annan is expected to participate in a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels. At the meeting, the top diplomats are expected to come to an agreement on their respective participation in the security force. Finnland, the current rotating president of the EU, said the meeting had been requested by Italy, which this week formally offered to lead the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

EU member states have come under increasing international pressure to move faster to deploy troops to protect the cease-fire and help bring stability to southern Lebanon. And Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema is estimating that Europe will send as many as 9,000 soldiers to be part of 15,000-strong international force. D'Alema told the Italian daily La Repubblica on Wednesday that Rome is prepared to send 2,000 to 3,000 troops, one-fourth of the EU contribution. But most European governments have been reserved in making commitments. So far, the UN has only received international commitments for 3,500 troops.

Among the developments expected is an announcement by France that it will increase the number of troops it plans to send from the current 200 soldiers it has committed. A final decision is expected after a meeting between French President Jacques Chirac and his cabinet on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Greece and the Netherlands have pledged to send naval forces, but not ground troops. Sweden has pledged to aid with reconstruction and mine sweeping, but Stockholm has been skeptical of pledging to send ground troops because the military is already participating in peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Africa and its military resources are limited.

Because of Germany's World War II history, the idea of sending troops to a force that could ultimately engage in combat with Israel is politically unpalatable and any military deployment must be approved by parliament. Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated that Germany would not commit combat troops but that some form of military support could be expected. One probable option could be the deployment of naval forces to patrol the waters of northern Lebanon and Syria. But the question of whether Berlin would send army engineers -– who could help the international force by building bridges and other construction projects -- is still the subject of debate. Additionally, Berlin will likely make significant contributions to reconstruction efforts in Lebanon.

Firmer commitments will likely come after the mandate for the security force is clarified this week. The Associated Press has obtained the 20-page document and reports that it permits the soldiers to fire their weapons in self-defense, to ensure the safety of Lebanese civilians and to help the Lebanese army secure the borders. Though predominantly "defensive in nature," the draft rules allow for the use of "deadly force" and offensive action if necessary.

Did Israel commit war crimes?

In a separate development, the human rights organization Amnesty Internaitonal on Wednesday accused Israel of having committed war crimes by deliberately destroying Lebanon's civilian infrastructure and indiscriminate bombing that led to a high number of civilian casualties. "The scale of destruction was just extraordinary," Amnesty Researcher Donatella Rovera said, according to AP. "There is clear evicdence of disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks." The organization encouraged the UN to investigate whether Israel or Hezbollah had violated international law.

Israel denied the charges. "Unlike Hezbollah," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev, "we did not deliberately target the Lebanese population. On the contrary, under very difficult circumstances, we tried to be as surgical as is humanly possible in targeting the Hezbollah terrorist organization." The Israeli army has also defended itself, issuing statements that it warned civilians in Lebanon that bombings would take place. Israel also accused Hezbollah of firing rockets at locations near civilian institutions.

Amnesty International claims that more than 1,100 Lebanese were killed during the five-week war. One-third were reportedly children. An estimated 160 Israelis were killed in combat or as the result of Hezbollah rocket attacks.