Philip Zelikow, a close advisor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was in Europe to discuss "designing and organizing the international force that was agreed upon (in) Rome" and which countries "might be willing and able to contribute troops to that operation," said Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman.

"He has had conversations with the NATO secretary general (Jaap de Hoop Scheffer). In my understanding, he was also going to be in a meeting with NATO military officials and also have some discussions with officials from the European Union," Casey said.

Asked about the utility of such discussions when NATO member France has expressed clear opposition to sending troops from the Atlantic alliance to Lebanon, Casey emphasized that NATO has "a lot of experience" to offer.

"One of the things that we'll be looking to decide over the course of the next few days is the exact nature and mandate of the force. So I'm not prepared to rule in or rule out any particular options at this point."

The international conference on Lebanon in Rome Wednesday lent its support to the idea of an international buffer force to guarantee lasting security in southern Lebanon. But there were differences over its composition and the conditions under which it should be deployed.

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