Lebanese Prime Minister Asks U.S. Help

Associated Press ^ | Aug 23, 9:37 AM (ET) | AP

[callthemlikeyouseethem]

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora urged the United States on Wednesday to help end Israel's sea and air blockade, and said his country was making "every effort" to secure its borders.

"The United States can support us in putting real pressure on Israel to lift the siege," the Western-backed Saniora told reporters.

His government has called the blockade a violation of the U.N.-brokered cease-fire, and has asked the international community to intervene.

Lebanon's leading An-Nahar newspaper reported that Saniora had spoken with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to enlist their help.

[callthemlikeyouseethem]

Don't they have all the support they need and want? the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, and the "moderate" muslims in the region should be enough...IMVHO...

[LtKerst]

urged the United States on Wednesday to help

We are helping.....By letting Israel defend itself.

[Little Ray]

Sure. We'll help.
Just as soon as Lebanon
1. Returns the two kidnapped Israeil soldiers, alive and well.
2. Sends Israel Nasrallah's head in a block of lucite.
3. Disarms Hezbollah.

Then we'll be glad help.

[reagandemo]

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said "I did not mean all the bad hurtful things I said about you wonderful people. Hey I was just kidding. Also, how many billions of dollars can you spare to help us out?"

[shankbear]

We need to target this assweasel also.

[joe fonebone]

Who the hell are we to demand that any country secure it's borders when we refuse to secure ours?

[reagandemo]

Ding, Dig, Ding! Bet post of today.

[reagandemo]

Sorry "Best post of today". Not enough coffee yet.

[sgtbono2002]

HMMM. The rearmament supplies of Hezballah must be getting slowed up.

[roses of sharon]

You mean the "great" Hezbollah cannot help?

Go to hell Saniora, you have chosen sides.

[thoughtomator]

Granted our borders are not secure, but that is a failure of will, not ability. We have no Hezbollah or equivalent thereof causing war with our neighbors, and thus the border-security comparison is a poor argument.

[SJackson]

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[Jaded]

They are begging the "great satan"? That's too funny.

[karnage]

#3 is the only one truly the responsibility of the Lebanese gubmint.

[El Gato]

Don't call us, we'll call you.

If you do call, "the check is in the mail"

(Unfortunately, it is)

[tessalu]

Lebanon has not yet learned it's lesson. Lebanon will have to run it's own country will. Hezbollah has been running the country, and other minorities have no say. Muslims have taken over Lebanon.

[tessalu]

Lebanon is begging for some more bombing. I have no sympathy for Signori, for I have seen and heard too much evil from him. He is not a fit leader of Lebanon. Lebanon deserves a better man.

[postaldave]

i second that.

[M. Espinola]

Saniora is a joke. The Hezzies are in the Lebanon government thus funding any nation send in will, one way or the other reach the Islamic serial killers.

For the next counter jihadist phase against both Hizballah and Hamas, Israel requires far better leadership then that Olmert.

[GSlob]

He should be told where to go and what to do, both on his way and once there.

[RightWhale]

Lebanon can help itself by blocking shipments of arms to Hizbu.

[kittymyrib]

We saw whose side these Labanese whiners were on during the conflict. Sorry...we're busy fighting Muslim terrorists all over the world. You'll have to tackle Israel yourselves.

[curiosity]

Granted our borders are not secure, but that is a failure of will, not ability.

Yes, and in Lebanon it's the opposite: failure of ability. Given that, I hardly see how Lebanon bears the blame.

[curiosity]

Lebanon can help itself by blocking shipments of arms to Hizbu.

And how exactly are they supposed to do that when Hizbollah is better armed and equipped than their own military?

[Richard-SIA]

"We have no Hezbollah or equivalent" ????

Ah, I beg to differ, we have MS-13, Mecha, Aztlan, etc.

Only a difference of degree, not really of intent.

We also have an unknown number of OTM's, some of which may very well BE Hezbollah.

[thoughtomator]

We are not neutral with those groups, nor do we allow them to operate on our soil, nor do they regularly launch attacks on our neighbors, nor are they represented in our government.

[thoughtomator]

In Lebanon there is a failure of will that leads to the failure of ability question being unanswered.

[RightWhale]

Lebanon is not at war with Hizbu is it? They can stop arms shipments to Hizbu. If Hizbu opens fire they would show just how blind they are to go to war with their support base.

[upcountryhorseman]

These groups have taken over all the border towns on the
Mexican side!

[upcountryhorseman]

Lebanon had nothing to do with kidnapping Israeli Solders.
They are taking over areas of south Lebanon along with
Italian, French, etc. forces as per the Resolution.

[Paul Ross]

BUMP!

[scannell]

Lets see here, Israel agreed to cease "all offensive operations" Don't know what is offensive in nature about a blockade, maybe the Prime Minister should learn a bit about military operations. If he wants to complain about failure to implement the cease fire he should scold Hizbollah for retaining the soldiers, rearming, etc. UN for failing to deploy "peace keepers" not observers ordered not to get involved. and Lebanon itself for failure to deploy and stop Hizbollah and disarm them.......

[scannell]

They are taking over areas of south Lebanon along with Italian, French, etc. forces as per the Resolution.

Do I have your assurance that they will Disarm Hizbollah and keep them from re-arming? That is your personal assurance.

[upcountryhorseman]

Who knows? It may be possible if we end up with 20,000 or 30,000 well-armed troops in the area of South Lebanon.

[Little Ray]

WRONG.

Lebanon does NOT get say that it "had nothing to do with kidnapping Israeli soldiers" when Hezbollah is based in Lebanon, launches rockets from Lebanon, and sits in the Lebanese parliament.

Or when Lebanese soldiers say that Hezbollah is part of them and refuses to disarm them.

Personally, I would have laid waste the entire country until they returned my soldiers AND gave me the heads of Nasrallah and his top aids.

[scannell]

Who knows?

Exactly the point, why should Israel or anyone in the free world leave their existance to the "Who Knows" perspective. Expecially when it is dependent on the preformance of the UN and integrity of the Islamists. Even the EU are against sanctions against a place like Iran who is clearly trying to get the Nuclear Bomb for terror while they wholehartedly supported sanctions against South Africa for Aparthide. Aparthide = not good. Nukes in hands of terrorists = much, much worse. WTF?

[upcountryhorseman]

The Lebanese Parliment consists of Representatives of
Christians, Druze, Greek Orthodox, etc. and make up a
majority. They did NOT have any thing to do with capturing
the Israeli soldiers: This was solely a Hezbullah operation.

[Little Ray]

So?
Hezbullah reps sit in parliament. The Lebanese parliament didn't condemn Hezbullah operation kicked off from within in their country, did not condemn the rocket attacks against Israeli cities launched from within Lebanon. Lebanese coastal radars aimed the C802 missiles that damaged an Israeli corvette and sank an Egyptian freighter. The Lebanese military did not take action against Hezbullah when they attacked Israel, and will not disarm Hezbullah now that there is "peace."

Sounds like "aiding and abetting" to me. Like it or not, they share responsibility with Hezbullah. It is not Israel's job (or mine) to discriminate between "innocent" Lebanese and Hezbullah Lebanese and Iranian Guards - it is Lebanon's job to police its people and not allow criminal organizations to commit their nation to war.