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ANNAN CRITICIZES ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH ON CEASEFIRE
By Sam F. Ghattas
Associated Press Writer
Christian Broadcasting Network, VA
Aug. 28, 2006
CBNNews.com - BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
faulted both Israel and Hezbollah on Monday for not living up to key
sections of the cease-fire resolution, while two more countries took
steps to provide troops for an expanded peacekeeping force to secure
the truce.
Germany, meanwhile, hinted it was negotiating a prisoner swap.
Sitting beside Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, Annan demanded
Hezbollah return two captured Israeli soldiers, whose July 12 abduction
touched off the 34-day war, and said Israel must lift its air and
sea blockade of Lebanon.
Although Annan was critical of both sides, he also said the agreement
provided a chance for a long-term peace. As the cease-fire held for
the 15th day, neither side looked like it wanted to resume large-scale
hostilities.
But the U.N. chief cautioned the road ahead would be long, and pledged
the international community's support. As part of that support, Italy
and Turkey moved to join the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern
Lebanon.
Annan also said the U.N. force, which is to grow to 15,000 soldiers,
will not try to disarm Hezbollah guerrillas.
"Down the line ... there will have to be disarmament, but it's up
to the Lebanese government and people to resolve themselves," Annan
said. "The (peacekeepers) are not going to go house to house searching
for weapons. This is not their responsibility."
Annan was booed by residents as he toured the devastated Dahiyeh
neighborhood in the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut. He
was greeted by giant posters with photographs of Hezbollah chief
Hassan Nasrallah and one that had a caricature of Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice with vampire's teeth and blood dripping from
the mouth.
The U.N. chief, accompanied by Saniora and a Hezbollah legislator,
walked for about 50 yards before the protest became noisy and
unfriendly. Annan got back into a car, which drove slowly through
the assembled residents with security men running alongside.
Geir Pedersen, Annan's personal representative, was pushed into
another car in the motorcade by a bodyguard after some in the crowd
mistook him for Jeffrey Feltman, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.
Earlier, Annan issued an unexpectedly blunt assessment of the
cease-fire and its implementation by Israel and Hezbollah.
"It's a fixed menu. ... It's not an a la carte menu where you choose
and pick," he said at the end of the first day of his 11-day Mideast
swing that will include stops in Iran and Syria, the main backers
of Hezbollah.
It was not known what Annan would discuss with the leaders of Syria
and Iran, but it would be extremely difficult for Lebanon to disarm the
Shiite guerrillas of Hezbollah without the agreement and participation
of those two governments.
Israel responded quickly and negatively to Annan's call for an end
to the blockade, which is intended to keep arms from being shipped
to Hezbollah.
An official in the office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated
that the blockade will remain until the international force takes up
positions along Lebanon's borders and entry points. He said Hezbollah
continues to try to smuggle weapons into the country.
"Once the international forces are fully in place and they're able
to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah, there will be no
need for the air and naval blockade," said the official, David Baker.
Although aimed at Hezbollah arms shipments, the blockade also is
hindering shipments of food, fuel and other goods to Lebanon.
Annan has said the Lebanese army could handle policing the Syrian
border on its own and it would be unprecedented for a peacekeeping
force to be deployed along a border shared by countries that have not
been at war. Syrian President Bashar Assad has said the deployment
of international troops would be considered a "hostile" act.
In Israel, Olmert announced an inquiry into the war, hoping to dispel
criticism among Israelis that the army and government bungled the
campaign. But he ignored demands for an independent probe with the
authority to dismiss top officials.
His decision was likely to enrage critics who say Olmert and other top
officials should be the focus of the investigation, not overseeing it.
Israel has said a resolution of the conflict must include the release
of the two soldiers captured by Hezbollah militants in a cross-border
raid that triggered the conflict last month.
Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, said that unless the issue
of the two soldiers was resolved, "the whole thing is of little
significance."
"Our sovereignty has been infringed and if this resolution does not
make that good, then we still have this problem," she said in Germany.
Livni's talks in Germany included discussion of efforts to get the
soldiers released, German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler said.
Germany has mediated past prisoner exchanges between Hezbollah
and Israel.
"It is well known that Germany has possibilities ... to help free
these captured and kidnapped Israeli soldiers," Erler said.
Annan said in Beirut that as a first step, the captured soldiers
could be transferred with Red Cross involvement to the government of
Lebanon or a third party, and offered U.N. assistance if required.
Meanwhile, Italy's Cabinet approved sending 2,500 soldiers to the
peacekeeping mission, and the government approved a $38.4 million
aid package for Lebanon.
"In the coming hours we will initiate the complex logistics for the
deployment of the Italian forces in the region," Foreign Minister
Massimo D'Alema said.
Earlier, the Italian Defense Ministry said a naval task force was
already being assembled to move about 1,900 soldiers to Lebanon. They
were to include marines and engineering specialists and be off the
Lebanese coast by Friday.
Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO and a country with close ties
to both Israel and Arab states, took a step closer toward joining
the peacekeeping force. Turkey has not said how many troops it could
send, but the presence of Muslim soldiers in the force is regarded
as crucial to gaining its acceptance in Lebanon.
Turkey's Cabinet called Monday for sending troops to Lebanon and said
parliament would be convened soon to vote on the measure.
But in Lebanon, the spiritual leader of the Armenian Diaspora,
Catholicos Aram I, released a statement calling Turkish participation
in a peacekeeping mission "morally unacceptable." Armenians want
modern Turkey to recognize atrocities committed by its Ottoman
predecessors. The Armenians estimate they lost 1.5 million people in
massacres or forced marches in Word War I.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By Sam F. Ghattas
Associated Press Writer
Christian Broadcasting Network, VA
Aug. 28, 2006
CBNNews.com - BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
faulted both Israel and Hezbollah on Monday for not living up to key
sections of the cease-fire resolution, while two more countries took
steps to provide troops for an expanded peacekeeping force to secure
the truce.
Germany, meanwhile, hinted it was negotiating a prisoner swap.
Sitting beside Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, Annan demanded
Hezbollah return two captured Israeli soldiers, whose July 12 abduction
touched off the 34-day war, and said Israel must lift its air and
sea blockade of Lebanon.
Although Annan was critical of both sides, he also said the agreement
provided a chance for a long-term peace. As the cease-fire held for
the 15th day, neither side looked like it wanted to resume large-scale
hostilities.
But the U.N. chief cautioned the road ahead would be long, and pledged
the international community's support. As part of that support, Italy
and Turkey moved to join the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern
Lebanon.
Annan also said the U.N. force, which is to grow to 15,000 soldiers,
will not try to disarm Hezbollah guerrillas.
"Down the line ... there will have to be disarmament, but it's up
to the Lebanese government and people to resolve themselves," Annan
said. "The (peacekeepers) are not going to go house to house searching
for weapons. This is not their responsibility."
Annan was booed by residents as he toured the devastated Dahiyeh
neighborhood in the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut. He
was greeted by giant posters with photographs of Hezbollah chief
Hassan Nasrallah and one that had a caricature of Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice with vampire's teeth and blood dripping from
the mouth.
The U.N. chief, accompanied by Saniora and a Hezbollah legislator,
walked for about 50 yards before the protest became noisy and
unfriendly. Annan got back into a car, which drove slowly through
the assembled residents with security men running alongside.
Geir Pedersen, Annan's personal representative, was pushed into
another car in the motorcade by a bodyguard after some in the crowd
mistook him for Jeffrey Feltman, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.
Earlier, Annan issued an unexpectedly blunt assessment of the
cease-fire and its implementation by Israel and Hezbollah.
"It's a fixed menu. ... It's not an a la carte menu where you choose
and pick," he said at the end of the first day of his 11-day Mideast
swing that will include stops in Iran and Syria, the main backers
of Hezbollah.
It was not known what Annan would discuss with the leaders of Syria
and Iran, but it would be extremely difficult for Lebanon to disarm the
Shiite guerrillas of Hezbollah without the agreement and participation
of those two governments.
Israel responded quickly and negatively to Annan's call for an end
to the blockade, which is intended to keep arms from being shipped
to Hezbollah.
An official in the office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated
that the blockade will remain until the international force takes up
positions along Lebanon's borders and entry points. He said Hezbollah
continues to try to smuggle weapons into the country.
"Once the international forces are fully in place and they're able
to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah, there will be no
need for the air and naval blockade," said the official, David Baker.
Although aimed at Hezbollah arms shipments, the blockade also is
hindering shipments of food, fuel and other goods to Lebanon.
Annan has said the Lebanese army could handle policing the Syrian
border on its own and it would be unprecedented for a peacekeeping
force to be deployed along a border shared by countries that have not
been at war. Syrian President Bashar Assad has said the deployment
of international troops would be considered a "hostile" act.
In Israel, Olmert announced an inquiry into the war, hoping to dispel
criticism among Israelis that the army and government bungled the
campaign. But he ignored demands for an independent probe with the
authority to dismiss top officials.
His decision was likely to enrage critics who say Olmert and other top
officials should be the focus of the investigation, not overseeing it.
Israel has said a resolution of the conflict must include the release
of the two soldiers captured by Hezbollah militants in a cross-border
raid that triggered the conflict last month.
Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, said that unless the issue
of the two soldiers was resolved, "the whole thing is of little
significance."
"Our sovereignty has been infringed and if this resolution does not
make that good, then we still have this problem," she said in Germany.
Livni's talks in Germany included discussion of efforts to get the
soldiers released, German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler said.
Germany has mediated past prisoner exchanges between Hezbollah
and Israel.
"It is well known that Germany has possibilities ... to help free
these captured and kidnapped Israeli soldiers," Erler said.
Annan said in Beirut that as a first step, the captured soldiers
could be transferred with Red Cross involvement to the government of
Lebanon or a third party, and offered U.N. assistance if required.
Meanwhile, Italy's Cabinet approved sending 2,500 soldiers to the
peacekeeping mission, and the government approved a $38.4 million
aid package for Lebanon.
"In the coming hours we will initiate the complex logistics for the
deployment of the Italian forces in the region," Foreign Minister
Massimo D'Alema said.
Earlier, the Italian Defense Ministry said a naval task force was
already being assembled to move about 1,900 soldiers to Lebanon. They
were to include marines and engineering specialists and be off the
Lebanese coast by Friday.
Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO and a country with close ties
to both Israel and Arab states, took a step closer toward joining
the peacekeeping force. Turkey has not said how many troops it could
send, but the presence of Muslim soldiers in the force is regarded
as crucial to gaining its acceptance in Lebanon.
Turkey's Cabinet called Monday for sending troops to Lebanon and said
parliament would be convened soon to vote on the measure.
But in Lebanon, the spiritual leader of the Armenian Diaspora,
Catholicos Aram I, released a statement calling Turkish participation
in a peacekeeping mission "morally unacceptable." Armenians want
modern Turkey to recognize atrocities committed by its Ottoman
predecessors. The Armenians estimate they lost 1.5 million people in
massacres or forced marches in Word War I.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress