Posted on 08/10/2006 11:53:33 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Feverish contacts have been held Friday in the UN building in New York in an attempt to agree on a draft proposal calling for a ceasefire between Hizbullah and Israel.
While cautious optimism was expressed in Lebanon, nevertheless, the Lebanese foreign minister said the draft was unacceptable to him. Meanwhile, Russia decided to submit its own draft for an immediate ceasefire.
Earlier, sources in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office expressed cautious optimism early Friday regarding the possibility that the latest American diplomatic maneuver will in fact lead to a ceasefire.
The proposal will call for Hizbullah’s disarmament in accordance with UN Resolution 1559, but this will not be declared a precondition for reaching a ceasefire.
However, the proposal does require the return of the kidnapped IDF soldiers to Israel.
France retracted its demand for the withdrawal of IDF forces to the international border as a ceasefire precondition.
As a result of the deal being formulated, the IDF will gradually pull out of Lebanon and will be replaced by an international force under the auspices of the UN and with Lebanese government consent.
The international force will include 10,000 French troops, and perhaps more from Spain and other countries, who will deploy in south Lebanon along with UNIFIL and 15,000 Lebanese soldiers.
The force will deploy in a buffer zone free of Hizbullah terrorists and in Lebanon-Syria border crossings.
The international force will be tasked with preventing the smuggling of Katyusha rockets and arms from Syria and Iran to Lebanon, but it will not disarm Hizbullah.
The Security Council is expected to vote on the ceasefire plan within the next two days.
Hizbullah, for its part, announced that it would not abide by any UN Security Council decision that would not call for the withdrawal of IDF troops from Lebanon.
'International community understands'
Lebanese media said the terror group continues to back Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s “Seven-Point” plan.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said “the proposal does not coincide with Lebanon’s goals because it does not call for an immediate ceasefire and (Israeli) withdrawal. The decision also discriminates against Lebanese prisoners (due to the call for the release of the kidnapped IDF troops).”
Following talks with US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch in Jerusalem, Olmert said “at this time, a new diplomatic formula with positive implications that could end the fighting is being formulated. If it isn't accepted, Israel will take off the gloves."
Sources in the PM’s Office said the chances for a ceasefire that would meet Israel’s requirements are “50-50.”
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also met with Welch in a bid to formulate a ceasefire proposal that would be accepted by Israel.
However, Olmert did not authorize Livni to travel to New York, where she was scheduled to discuss the ceasefire proposal with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
A senior official at the PM’s Office said Olmert did not want any more pressure to be applied on Israel as a result of Livni’s presence in the UN.
Meanwhile the prime minister and Defense Minister Amir Peretz instructed the army to put the next phase of its ground operation in south Lebanon on hold to prevent further escalation and after the White House apparently made it clear that such a move would be detrimental to the diplomatic efforts.
However, a source in Jerusalem said “The international community understands that we cannot accept the continued rocket fire on northern Israel.”
Maybe the Lebanese will agree to a ceasefire if Olmert agrees that all Israeli citizens within missile firing range of Hezbollah are officially considered to be hostages of Hezbollah. That is what the de facto result of the ceasefire will be so why not make it the de jure result as well.
It's time for Israel to kick some dirty bottom
1559 and be done with it.
Here comes Israel's reply...
Here is the problem.
Who cares what the international community (whatever that is) thinks.
Just finish the job and protect Israel.
Now, it's time that Israel get the job done and kill all of the Hezbohla and obliterate Lebanon. Then on to doing the same thing to Hammas.
With enemies like that, who needs friends.
Everybody's getting into the act. Hopefully these "feverish" UN meetings for a (ultimately one-sided) "ceasefire" (the Israelis) will continue for a few more weeks or months or however long it takes for Israel to finish the job and step on every last terrorist like a cockroach.
The whole UN Security Council is one big cluster****. The UN should just go back to what they do best: bash the US while they steal our money.
DITTO baby!
this is stupid...so what now? the final push into lebanon is on or off or still holding? Make up their f'n minds already!
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em Down Hezbullies.)
How long has Hezbollah been in Lebanon - I just heard for only 6 years. I thought longer.
thanks
. . .
The force will deploy in a buffer zone free of Hizbullah terrorists and in Lebanon-Syria border crossings.
The international force will be tasked with preventing the smuggling of Katyusha rockets and arms from Syria and Iran to Lebanon, but it will not disarm Hizbullah.
. . .
Hizbullah, for its part, announced that it would not abide by any UN Security Council decision that would not call for the withdrawal of IDF troops from Lebanon.
Does this make any sense at all to anyone here? The UN will be in a zone magically free of Hezbollah. Hezbollah is to be disarmed but noone is responsible for disarming them. Hezbollah will continue to ignore the order to disarm as it has for lo these many years.
So, as long as Hezbollah can sneak missles into Lebanon (or use the ones remaining), the UN will sit by and watch them shoot because to prevent them from shooting would be to disarm them. What has changed?
There are ongoing political and "diplomatic" efforts by some of our "allies" to restrain Israel and allow Hamas and Hezbollah to prepare to attack.
What if our "allies" (and various kinds of neo-Nazis here) were to get what they want: Israel overrun or damaged to any terrible extent? What would our reaction as a nation be? And how might US party politics change, if our leaders allow that to happen, even over much time?
Surveys have found that about 80-90 percent of US people are in favor of Israel. We who are in favor of Israel tend to be more quiet and more tolerant of those who are against Israel (even opinion writers who are popular in certain circles), for now.
As long as they're talking while Israel is bombing, then it's a great plan......wink wink
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