Syrian FM Mualem in Beirut: If Israel wants a regional war, that’s fine with us. Lebanon rejects US-French UN draft
Syrian FM Mualem in Beirut: If Israel wants a regional war, that’s fine with us. Lebanon rejects US-French UN draft
August 6, 2006, 9:56 PM (GMT+02:00)
Arab League foreign ministers to hold an impromptu meeting in the Lebanese capital Monday, Aug. 7. They will try and hash out a response to the US-French UN draft which the Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, head of the Shiite Amal, said Sunday is not acceptable to Beirut. He warned that Lebanon faces the danger of renewed civil war. Arab League secretary Amr Mussa worked on the Monday meeting’s agenda with Syrian president Bashar Assad in Damascus Saturday, after he held talks with Saudi king Abdullah in Riyadh. Assad had a conversation Saturday with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Syrian daily Al-Thawra wrote Sunday that international silence on “Israeli aggression” is no longer acceptable. The Beirut government, which has 5 Hizballah and allied ministers, is demanding am immediate ceasefire, a time table for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and the disputed Shebaa Farms held by Israel since the 1967 war placed under UN control. The text agreed by US and France calls for a full – though not immediate – cessation of violence, demanding that Hizballah halt all attacks and Israel stop all offensive military operations. The wording allows Israel to take defensive action if attacked. Hizballah cabinet member Mohammed Fneish said his organization would stop fighting if Israel removed all its troops from Lebanon. The draft makes no such demand. Israel has said its troops will stay in Lebanon until a multinational force is in place. The resolution asks Israel and Lebanon to agree to a set of principles to achieve a long-term peace. One crucial element is an arms embargo to block any entity in Lebanon barring the government obtaining weapons from abroad. Other principles spell out the disarmament of Hizballah, the creation of a buffer zone up to the Litani River and the delineation of Lebanon’s borders, especially the disputed Chebaa farms area. The current international force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, is to monitor the cessation of fighting. After Israel and Lebanon agree to the principles, the Security Council will authorize a new stabilization force for the region to help the Lebanese government provide a secure environment, a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution.
August 6, 2006, 9:56 PM (GMT+02:00)
Arab League foreign ministers to hold an impromptu meeting in the Lebanese capital Monday, Aug. 7. They will try and hash out a response to the US-French UN draft which the Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, head of the Shiite Amal, said Sunday is not acceptable to Beirut. He warned that Lebanon faces the danger of renewed civil war. Arab League secretary Amr Mussa worked on the Monday meeting’s agenda with Syrian president Bashar Assad in Damascus Saturday, after he held talks with Saudi king Abdullah in Riyadh. Assad had a conversation Saturday with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Syrian daily Al-Thawra wrote Sunday that international silence on “Israeli aggression” is no longer acceptable. The Beirut government, which has 5 Hizballah and allied ministers, is demanding am immediate ceasefire, a time table for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and the disputed Shebaa Farms held by Israel since the 1967 war placed under UN control. The text agreed by US and France calls for a full – though not immediate – cessation of violence, demanding that Hizballah halt all attacks and Israel stop all offensive military operations. The wording allows Israel to take defensive action if attacked. Hizballah cabinet member Mohammed Fneish said his organization would stop fighting if Israel removed all its troops from Lebanon. The draft makes no such demand. Israel has said its troops will stay in Lebanon until a multinational force is in place. The resolution asks Israel and Lebanon to agree to a set of principles to achieve a long-term peace. One crucial element is an arms embargo to block any entity in Lebanon barring the government obtaining weapons from abroad. Other principles spell out the disarmament of Hizballah, the creation of a buffer zone up to the Litani River and the delineation of Lebanon’s borders, especially the disputed Chebaa farms area. The current international force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, is to monitor the cessation of fighting. After Israel and Lebanon agree to the principles, the Security Council will authorize a new stabilization force for the region to help the Lebanese government provide a secure environment, a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution.
posted by shummer60 at Sunday, August 06, 2006
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