Malaysia said it is considering sending a peacekeeping force to the Lebanon-Israel border, and urged the United Nations to do more to avert a "humanitarian catastrophe".

UN chief Kofi Annan has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, proposed a blueprint to end the deadly fighting in Lebanon, and mooted the deployment of an expanded contingent of peacekeeping troops.

But Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the world body must take a tougher stance.

"I think the secretary-general must play a role. It is no good for the United Nations to say they are concerned about the humanitarian catastrophe. What are they doing about the humanitarian catastrophe? That is important," he said.

"So we would encourage the UN, and I think the US can also play a very leading role, in order to prevent hardship, suffering, death of the civilian population. Both sides must act together," he told a press conference.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday that Malaysia, the current chair of the world's largest grouping of Islamic countries, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, was well-placed to send peacekeepers.

"Certainly this (decision) has to be made by the cabinet but based on our experience and involvement in Bosnia, and our position as OIC chair, there is a strong case for Malaysia to seriously consider it," he told the official Bernama news agency during a visit to Britain.

Deploy international force

Indonesian officials said Friday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has also written to the UN chief to express concern about the escalating conflict and express Jakarta's readiness to contribute to a UN force there.

Malaysia has condemned Israel's offensives in Gaza and Lebanon and called for an international force to be deployed to prevent the violence from spiralling into a regional conflict.

Syed Hamid said that the crisis would be raised at next week's talks in Kuala Lumpur which is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) ministerial meeting followed by Asia's top security forum.

"Definitely we think it is a subject that Asean should discuss. We are even suggesting whether it will be agreed or not - because Asean decides by unanimity - that there should be a separate statement on Middle East," he said.

"Unless these matters are arrested quickly, it is addressed in an appropriate manner, I think we're going to see human carnage and human suffering going to be expanded and going to make this situation worse."