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Ambassador: Damage to Lebanon assessed at $5bn
Regnum, Russia
Aug 4, 2006
"Israeli Air Force strikes are mainly targeted at the vitally
important facilities. Three bridges were destroyed today morning in
Beirut. $50mln will be needed to reconstruct each of them. For the
22 days of the military action, about 22 Lebanese have been killed,
over 3, 000 wounded, millions became refugees, and the damage is
assessed at $5bn," Ambassador of Lebanon to Armenia Gabriel Geara
said at a news briefing at a National press club.
Geara said that representatives of foreign countries visit
Lebanon daily. "Nothing, however, has been done in the direction of
establishing ceasefire. They say that on Monday a decision on ceasefire
will be taken at the UN Security Council's session. We urged everybody
to exert maximal effort." The Lebanese diplomat also informed that his
government drafted a document of seven items on establishing peace. "It
is necessary to establish ceasefire, to exchange prisoners of war, to
withdraw Israeli armed forces from the occupied territories, to deploy
the legal Lebanese army on the whole of the country's territory, to
station peacekeeping forces under the UN aegis, to return Lebanon and
Israel to the ceasefire agreement signed in 1949, to announce Lebanon
a disaster zone and to apply for help to other countries," Geara said.
A conference of all Lebanon Muslim and Christian spiritual leaders
convened two days ago, at which Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I and
Head of Armenian Catholic Church Patriarch Nerses Bedros were also
present. The statement adopted at the conference fully corresponded
to the Lebanese government's position, the ambassador said. Speaking
of the Hezbollah movement disarmament, Geara noted that the issue is
included in the agenda. "The government of Lebanon says that the issue
will be resolved after the seized territories liberated, prisoners of
war exchanged, and the ceasefire established. Hezbollah is a movement
of national resistance, that will become obsolete after is executes
its mission - returns the southern country's territories - and continue
political activities in parliament and other state structures," Geara
said. He said the beginning of a civil war in Lebanon was unlikely.
A conference of all Lebanon Muslim and Christian spiritual leaders
convened two days ago, at which Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I and
Head of Armenian Catholic Church Patriarch Nerses Bedros were also
present. The statement adopted at the conference fully corresponded
to the Lebanese government's position, the ambassador said. Speaking
of the Hezbollah movement disarmament, Geara noted that the issue is
included in the agenda. "The government of Lebanon says that the issue
will be resolved after the seized territories liberated, prisoners of
war exchanged, and the ceasefire established. Hezbollah is a movement
of national resistance, that will become obsolete after is executes
its mission - returns the southern country's territories - and continue
political activities in parliament and other state structures," Geara
said. He said the beginning of a civil war in Lebanon was unlikely.
The entire world helps Lebanon these days. Gabriel Geara expressed
gratitude to the government of Armenia for the humanitarian aid
rendered to Lebanon. "I want to assure all the Armenians in the world
that Armenians living in Lebanon are in no danger, they suffered
neither material nor physical damage; even the smallest shop owned
by an Armenian remained intact. Probably, God loves Armenians. We
are glad that it is so," the ambassador said.
Regnum, Russia
Aug 4, 2006
"Israeli Air Force strikes are mainly targeted at the vitally
important facilities. Three bridges were destroyed today morning in
Beirut. $50mln will be needed to reconstruct each of them. For the
22 days of the military action, about 22 Lebanese have been killed,
over 3, 000 wounded, millions became refugees, and the damage is
assessed at $5bn," Ambassador of Lebanon to Armenia Gabriel Geara
said at a news briefing at a National press club.
Geara said that representatives of foreign countries visit
Lebanon daily. "Nothing, however, has been done in the direction of
establishing ceasefire. They say that on Monday a decision on ceasefire
will be taken at the UN Security Council's session. We urged everybody
to exert maximal effort." The Lebanese diplomat also informed that his
government drafted a document of seven items on establishing peace. "It
is necessary to establish ceasefire, to exchange prisoners of war, to
withdraw Israeli armed forces from the occupied territories, to deploy
the legal Lebanese army on the whole of the country's territory, to
station peacekeeping forces under the UN aegis, to return Lebanon and
Israel to the ceasefire agreement signed in 1949, to announce Lebanon
a disaster zone and to apply for help to other countries," Geara said.
A conference of all Lebanon Muslim and Christian spiritual leaders
convened two days ago, at which Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I and
Head of Armenian Catholic Church Patriarch Nerses Bedros were also
present. The statement adopted at the conference fully corresponded
to the Lebanese government's position, the ambassador said. Speaking
of the Hezbollah movement disarmament, Geara noted that the issue is
included in the agenda. "The government of Lebanon says that the issue
will be resolved after the seized territories liberated, prisoners of
war exchanged, and the ceasefire established. Hezbollah is a movement
of national resistance, that will become obsolete after is executes
its mission - returns the southern country's territories - and continue
political activities in parliament and other state structures," Geara
said. He said the beginning of a civil war in Lebanon was unlikely.
A conference of all Lebanon Muslim and Christian spiritual leaders
convened two days ago, at which Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I and
Head of Armenian Catholic Church Patriarch Nerses Bedros were also
present. The statement adopted at the conference fully corresponded
to the Lebanese government's position, the ambassador said. Speaking
of the Hezbollah movement disarmament, Geara noted that the issue is
included in the agenda. "The government of Lebanon says that the issue
will be resolved after the seized territories liberated, prisoners of
war exchanged, and the ceasefire established. Hezbollah is a movement
of national resistance, that will become obsolete after is executes
its mission - returns the southern country's territories - and continue
political activities in parliament and other state structures," Geara
said. He said the beginning of a civil war in Lebanon was unlikely.
The entire world helps Lebanon these days. Gabriel Geara expressed
gratitude to the government of Armenia for the humanitarian aid
rendered to Lebanon. "I want to assure all the Armenians in the world
that Armenians living in Lebanon are in no danger, they suffered
neither material nor physical damage; even the smallest shop owned
by an Armenian remained intact. Probably, God loves Armenians. We
are glad that it is so," the ambassador said.