SAN FRANCISCO (AFX) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday described an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon that killed more than 50 people as 'absolutely tragic' and demonstrated why the conflict cannot continue.
'What has happened at Qana shows that this is a situation that simply cannot continue,' Blair told reporters in San Francisco, where he is on a visit to promote British business interests.
'This is an absolutely tragic situation but we have got to make sure that the discussions we are having, and the negotiations we are conducting, lead to a genuine cessation of hostilities in a way that allows us to put an end to them,' he added.
Police in Qana said Sunday that at least 52 villagers, including 30 children, were killed in the pre-dawn raid that left homes in ruins and villagers trapped under the rubble.
Blair said he had conducted a series of urgent phone calls and negotiations with other leaders following the deadly raid and planned to speak to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora 'within the next few hours'.
Siniora denounced the Qana bombing as a 'war crime' and demanded an immediate ceasefire in the 18-day-old conflict, which his health minister estimated had so far killed 750 people.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on a visit to the Middle East that it was time to 'get a ceasefire', as the UN Security Council met in emergency session to discuss the crisis.
But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he was in 'no rush' for a truce, telling Rice that Israel needed 10 to 14 days more to continue its offensive against Hezbollah, an Israeli government official said.
Blair said that despite the bombing -- which has been met with widespread international condemnation -- he still believed agreement could be reached for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
'I think there is a basis for an agreement that I think allows us to get that UN resolution but we have to do this now,' he added.
'We have to speed this entire process up, get a resolution now and on the passing of that agreement of that resolution, then the hostilities have got to stop.'
Blair -- whose itinerary in San Francisco was put back because of the developments in the Middle East -- indicated that he may say more later Sunday. newsdesk@afxnews.com afp/ak COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited