Annan Tells UN Council to Demand Mideast Truce (Bolton: US will not back)

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/Reuters: Annan Tells UN Council to Demand Mideast Truce
By REUTERS
Published: July 30, 2006

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the Security Council on Sunday to condemn a deadly Israeli attack on the Lebanese village of Qana and to call for an immediate end to the violence.

"I am deeply dismayed that my earlier calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities were not heeded,'' Annan said. "I repeat this call once again from this chamber and I appeal to the council to do likewise.''

Annan was speaking at an emergency council meeting he called after the Israeli air strike on Qana killed more than 60 civilians in the deadliest single attack of its 19-day-old war against Hizbollah militants.

The council, after an hour of consultations, adjourned until later on Sunday while the 15 members contacted their governments on a possible statement.

But U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who expected the council to express "profound regrets'' over the Qana attack, made clear Washington would only back an "enduring'' negotiated ceasefire, not an immediate truce....

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mideast-un.html

[struggle4progress]

1. SA repeats call for Middle East ceasefire

South African President Thabo Mbeki on Sunday joined world leaders in expressing his country's outrage and condemnation of the bombings of the Lebanese town of Qana by Israel.

In a statement released by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad, Mbeki reiterated the call by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan for a ceasefire in the conflict ...

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=279208&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/

[struggle4progress]

2. India calls for ceasefire in Lebanon

New Delhi : India condemned as ``outrageous'' Israel's air strikes on Lebanon on Sunday, which left dozens of people dead and suggested an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the region ...

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/31/stories/2006073110320100.htm

[struggle4progress]

3. Blair hardens line on Lebanon after cabinet criticism

Patrick Wintour in San Francisco and Tania Branigan
Monday July 31, 2006
The Guardian

Tony Blair yesterday responded to a growing backbench and cabinet revolt over his handling of the Middle East crisis by saying the Qana bombing showed that a peace agreement must be reached.

Mr Blair has been under mounting internal criticism for refusing to endorse calls for an immediate unconditional ceasefire or to condemn the Israeli bombing as disproportionate ...

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,1833957,00.html

[struggle4progress]

4. Benedict calls for miracle as Qana toll reaches 54

Benedict XVI has called in the name of God for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as the civilian toll from the Israeli air strike on an apartment block in the biblical town of Qana reached 54, including 37 children ...

http://www.cathnews.com/news/607/163.php

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. PLEASE! Everone in the world except the US, the UK and Israel

want this shit to stop!

[Subdivisions]

6. It amazes me...

just how stupid and immature humans are. Every damn one of us ought to be ashamed of ourselves. What a waste of life to award it to humans. So much to live for and so much potential wasted on beings that don't even realize it. *Shakes head*

[Barkley]

7. Does this mean we're a 'rogue state' now? -nt

[struggle4progress]

9. Police scuffle with pro-Lebanon protesters (Australia)

2006/7/30
PERTH, Australia, AP

... Howard has defended Israel's large-scale retaliation after the militant group Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers on July 12 ...

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asiapacific/detail.asp?GRP=C&id=86864

[struggle4progress]

10. Arms exports from Aust. to Israel should be halted

Monday, 31 July 2006, 4:14 am
Press Release: Australian Green Party
Arms exports to Israel should be halted: Greens

"The Prime Minister needs to reveal if Australia is still sending arms to Israel, and if so, exports should be suspended," Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Past questions asked by the Greens in the Senate have revealed that defence exports to Israel were worth almost $10 million in 2004, the last year for which figures have been made public. In the last five years the Howard government has approved the export of weapons and equipment including military explosive devices, military electronic equipment, parts for military vehicles and aircraft and armoured equipment," Senator Brown said.

"Instead of arming one side of the conflict the Prime Minister should be trying to achieve a cease fire."

Senator Brown said that global coverage of ambulances being targeted in Lebanon, and a United Nations post being destroyed killing UN personnel, will disgust millions around the world.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00530.htm

[struggle4progress]

11. Australia calls for "credible" peacekeeping force

30 Jul 2006 03:00:27 GMT
Source: Reuters

SYDNEY, July 30 (Reuters) - ...

"It's got to be a force which would have somewhere between, well, 10,000, 15,000 perhaps, troops in it, it would have to be properly and effectively led, it would have to have a specific mandate," Downer told Australian television.

Downer said the planned peacekeeping force would need to be backed politically and militarily by Israel and be mandated with assisting the Lebanese army gain control of southern Lebanon.

"It would have to be tasked, in particular, to help the Lebanese army itself seize control of southern Lebanon instead of southern Lebanon being in the hands of Hizbollah," he said ...

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30832830.htm

[struggle4progress]

12. EU divisions harden on Lebanon options

By Judy Dempsey International Herald Tribune
Published: July 30, 2006

BERLIN ... Germany, like Britain, has held back from calling for an immediate cease-fire, while calling on both sides to give diplomacy a chance" ...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/30/news/union.php

[coalition_unwilling]

46. Isn't it about time the UN united against the U.S. and Israel? (eom)

[Erika]

8. The Catholic God is not W's or Bolton's God

The blood is on their hands and anyone who refuses to call for an immediate cease fire.

[smacky44]

13. Either throw the US out of the UN or take the UN out of the US.

Neither the US nor Israel abides by any thing the UN say or does UNLESS it only benefits the US or Israel.

[Palladin]

14. Bolton nixes Annan's call for cease-fire

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N30241478.htm

UN Council "strongly deplores" deaths in Lebanon
31 Jul 2006 01:15:44 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Evelyn Leopold and Irwin Arieff
UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Sunday unanimously adopted a statement deploring Israel's deadly attack on the southern Lebanese village of Qana but rejected U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for an immediate truce.
The policy statement, read at a public meeting, expressed "extreme shock and distress" at the air strike by the Israeli army that killed at east 60 people and asked Annan to report within a week "on the circumstances of this tragic incident."
It stressed "the urgency of securing a lasting, permanent and sustainable cease-fire" and affirmed the council's determination to work "without any further delay" to adopt a resolution "for a lasting settlement of the crisis."
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said he opposed calling for a truce, as requested by Annan in an impassioned plea to an emergency council meeting he called after the strike on Qana, the deadliest single attack of Israel's 19-day-old war against Hizbollah militants.
"We don't think that simply returning to business as usual is a way to bring about a lasting solution," Bolton said.
"Rather than jump to conclusions about ceases-fires and other matters, we felt it was important to let that play out and to do what was important today, which was address the tragic loss of civilian life," Bolton told reporters.
Council statements need the consent of all 15 members.
---------------------------------------------
Same old same old. There was in fact no council statement, and no resolution. It's equivalent to another US veto.

[Lerkfish]

15. Bastards. The US has as much blood on its hands in this as Isreal.

[saigon68]

40. Israel is just one of two terrorist organizations at work here

[Lerkfish]

43. valid point: ok then: bastards, US, Isreal and Hezbollah have blood

on their hands here.

but I assume if the house you're sitting in flattens and kills you, its a distinction without a difference.

[MissWaverly]

16. This man is our unnominated rep to the UN

when the Congress would not approve, he was appointed by the decider, Bush, Cheney and Bolton
are creating problems that will haunt us for generations.

[IndianaGreen]

17. By doing this, the US has assured that Israel will lose the war

Lebanon's anti-Syrian government will fall, and Hezbollah will be bigger than ever.

More people will die!

[joemurphy]

21. I think you're right, IG. This is despicable. n/t

[saigon68]

22. KindaSleezy Rice will need the WHOLE of Blackwater Security to protect

HER sorry ass if she goes back to Lebanon.

[leftchick]

29. yes indeed IG

a typical US foreign policy recipe for disaster. :(

[Barkley]

31. You're so right!

These wars seem to reduced the credibility of secular Arab governments and boost the credibility of religous-based movements.

I'm all for people choosing their own gov't

But if the US policy is to promote democracy, where doing it a very strange and convoluted way.

[mediaman007]

18. If the school disciplined Bolton's kids, I doubt that he would let it play

out! He'd be in the teacher's and administration's faces to protect his kids. All parents try to shield their children from harm. The only way Republicans would intervene in this carnage is if there was a chance to save a fetus!

Edit: spelling

[GAPeace]

19. Annan should walk over to Bolton and punch him in the face

It'd be worth all the trouble it caused, and every head of state in the world except Bush and Blair and Olmert would get a chuckle about it behind closed doors.

[Hand]

30. Make that a knee in the groin.

He'd be front-runner for the Nobel Peace Prize for that!

[Barkley]

32. Annan has already won the Nobel Peace Prize

http://www.nobelprizes.com/nobel/peace/2001b.html

[Hand]

44. Go for two! nt

[Solly Mack]

20. shock and ah

"What was important today, which was address the tragic loss of life", said Bolton

and without an end to the violence, what will be important tomorrow will be to address the tragic loss of life

and what will be important the day after tomorrow will be to address the tragic loss of life

and what will important the day after that will be to address the tragic loss of life

and so on and so forth....

[gratuitous]

23. "Returning to business as usual"?

Yeah, it's just so boring when people are working out their differences without bombing the shit out of each other isn't it, John? My goodness, where is the profit in that for the arms merchants and the no-bid "security" contractors.

Bloodthirsty motherfuckers. And Senators Schumer and Clinton are considering voting in favor of Bolton's appointment.

[Palladin]

24. Bolton is AIPAC's guy at the UN.

That's why. This was always going to be his role. It was originally to push sanctions and if possible bombings on Iran, for Israel's behalf. Now he's playing defense for the main guys. They WILL vote for Bolton or....face the wrath of AIPAC.

[AllyCat]

34. What's AIPAC?

Education needed here. Thx

[Palladin]

36. Just Google it.

Or better yet Google Bolton-Cheney-Wurmser AIPAC.

[ShockediSay]

25. "Blessed are the peacemakers" ... n/t

[drduffy]

26. if only bolton could be magically transported to

a UN observation post along the Israeli border.....

couldn't happen to a more deserving piece of shit....

[kurth]

28. Send the Bush White House Piano Player there, too

[movonne]

27. This is why the dems will join in with repugs in voting for this piece of

shit....we will keep him in just to protect Israel..

[leesa]

38. Exactly. It's why he's up for approval. He WILL be nominated because

Israel owns our Senators. It's why they put his name back up now. Me-thinks this whole shebang was pre-planned.

[Barkley]

33. US and UK are the 'rogue states'

I beleive we are the only ones rejecting a cease fire.

[badgerpup]

35. I realize I'm stupid and uninformed...

...but I just can't see why stopping shooting at each other...even on a temporary basis that can be extended as needed is a bad idea. :shrug:
Can someone please 'splain it to me?

[muriel_volestrangler]

42. Only Bushbots can explain it to you

It's their "new reality" that they've invented. The rest of us are stuck with you in what we thought was the real world, where stopping the fighting is a good thing.

[stepnw1f]

47. You Make Sense to Me (nt)

[rodeodance]

37. We are all shamed by Boltons/WH comments.

[David__77]

39. The General Assembly should condemn Israel.

If Israel won't change course, it should reinstate the resolution on Zionism.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[opihimoimoi]

45. Get that Bolten outta there....he is not making thing better...only worse.