Arab States to Push Lebanese Changes to UN Cease-fire Draft

Haaretz ^ | 08/07/06 | Aluf Benn

[mojito]

Arab League foreign ministers, meeting in Beirut, will send a delegation Monday to try to push through proposed Lebanese amendments to a draft United Nations resolution seeking to end violence, a Lebanese official said....

"The foreign ministers have decided to send a delegation... today to the United Nations to speak on behalf of Lebanon and to seek amendments to the Security Council resolution in line with the Lebanese demands," the official said....

Washington and Paris are expected to circulate a new draft Monday, taking into account some of the amendments proposed by Qatar, the only Arab nation on the Security Council, and other members, diplomats said.....

Israel is...concerned about the resolution's failure to address the issue of creating an international force for Lebanon. The current draft says merely that a second resolution will be proposed at some later date to authorize deployment of such a force. This, said a senior government source, seems to indicate "there won't be an international force, because there will never be an agreement on it."

"If they're spitting blood over a declarative resolution [like the current one], just imagine what will happen when they get to a practical resolution," he said....

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has already announced that the resolution will be brought to a vote as is; government sources said this seems to be an effort to pressure the Lebanese government, which has already rejected the draft and is backing Hezbollah's demands.

However, the sources noted, during the Security Council debate, other countries are likely to try to alter the clauses most favorable to Israel - such as one that essentially allows Israeli troops to remain in Lebanon for the time being - to meet Lebanon's demands.

[mojito]

I don't recall a more pointless or dangerous diplomatic pantomime since the Iraq war. There is nothing to negotiate, and any halt to the fighting is a victory for Hezbollah. Hezbollah can hijack the Lebanese government at any time, and there can be no real security for northern Israel as long as Hezbollah exists. Any "diplomatic" solution that recognizes Hezbollah's continued existence is a defeat for Lebanon, a defeat for Israel, and a defeat for the US.

[contemplator]

"...this seems to be an effort to pressure the Lebanese government, which has already rejected the draft and is backing Hezbollah's demands...

Here is a very telling bit. The Lebanese government has allowed the world to give them every benefit of a doubt without committing themselves. They want to be able to separate themselves from Hezbollah when it's convenient, but act in unison with them at others. The sooner the world accepts the fact that the Lebanese government is backing Hezbollah and has supported them all along the better.

[epluribus_2]

I am sure the changes include language that will enable Hezbollah to (once again) claim they liberated lebanon from IDF occupation, so they can do the kalishnikov happy dance. This is what they exist for.

[RexBeach]

Draft, schmaft.

Terrorists are attacking a democracy that is being criticized for defending itself. BS.

[phillyfanatic]

Absolutely correct. In fact, write the Prez and Condi, as I have telling them that diplomacy has never once settled any war problem when one side wants to kill, murder, behead all others who disagree with its Islamofascist terrorist agenda. It is pure silliness to watch this UN play go on and take anything seriously. After all, why no peace treaty in Iraq?? Why not ask Hamas and the Pals to sign a peace pact in Gaza forever? The only nations nowadays who lose in diplomacy are the good guys. And the pagan pacifist-socialists in the UN know just that as they play this inane diplomatic game.

[EagleUSA]

Any "diplomatic" solution that recognizes Hezbollah's continued existence is a defeat for Lebanon, a defeat for Israel, and a defeat for the US.
-----
Without any question. The Arabs can go stuff it. This is none of their freakin' business to begin with. This is why it is EVEN MORE CRITICAL that Israel disregrad this U.N. elitist attempt at interfering with their affairs as bogus and ignore it. While we would like to believe that the U.S. intent in all this is to protect the interest of Israel, whom everyone else wants to see dead, including Kofi Annan and his den of criminal rabble, it would be good to see some resistance from the State Department and our President to any Arab B.S. --- and some warnings to Syria and Iran...also some condemnation of, and recognition of, the gross impotence, incompetence and irrelevance of the "UN Peacekeeping Force" that has been in Lebanon for what, seven years now???

Time to get real, and quite playing the status quo politics.

[Personal Responsibility]

Any "diplomatic" solution that recognizes Hezbollah's continued existence is a defeat for Lebanon, a defeat for Israel, and a defeat for the US.

But it is a victory for the anti-american, anti-israel members of the UN, so it will keep being brought up. In the corrupted cesspool that is the UN this is considered "diplomacy" not "massive insanity"

[verbal voter]

That corrupted cesspool(the UN) costs we Americans $480,000,000./year. When will we stop wasting our money!

[From One - Many]

I would like to offer an amendment to the proposal....
When hamas, hezzies, syria, and iran are glowing white hot from destruction and hamas, hezzies, syria, and iran are so beaten into the ashes of their religion, and those unlucky enough to be left alive are crying out in surrender, and after another fourty days of carpet bombing, we can then talk terms.

[azcap]

They must be lobbying for the Destruction of Israel, Death to All Jews clause, which they feel was unfairly left out of the original UN resolution.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"The sooner the world accepts the fact that the Lebanese government is backing Hezbollah and has supported them all along the better. "

I am with you and poster number one. His phrase diplomatic pantomime applys to those diplomats including ours who are trying to tell us that the Lebanese government are the good guys and the Lebanese army can eventually handle all this . I am not totally buying that one. The President of Lebanon is Nasarallah. He is calling all the shots.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"It is pure silliness to watch this UN play go on and take anything seriously."

Correct.