World Leaders Issue a Balanced Statement Condeming Violence on All Sides

[bigtree]

Jul 16, 1:10 PM EDT

G-8 Leaders Demand Halt to Mideast Attacks

By JEANNINE AVERSA
AP Economics Writer
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/G8_SUMMIT?SITE=SDSIO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- World leaders, managing to resolve sharp differences over an escalating crisis between Israel and Lebanon, declared Sunday that extremist groups in the region cannot be allowed to plunge the Middle East into chaos and must immediately halt their attacks.

The leaders of the world's eight industrial powers issued a strong statement condemning Hezbollah militants but also urged Israel to exercise restraint in its military actions against Lebanon.

The statement said it was critical for Israel to "be mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions." It called on Israel "to exercise utmost restraint" by seeking to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure.

The statement called for two captured Israeli soldiers to be freed, for the attacks on Israel by Hezbollah militants to stop and for Israel to end its military action. It also expressed support for the Lebanese government.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/G8_SUMMIT?SITE=SDSIO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[stepnw1f]

1. Hopefully They Will Listen

since they have their heads up their ideological extremist asses. (both sides)

[Quixote1818]

2. They are exactly right. Good luck though nt

[gristy]

3. Wise comments from Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to be more in line with European leaders who have condemned Israel's attacks as excessive. Putin has said it was unacceptable for Hezbollah to take hostages and shell others' territory, but also for Israel to use massive force in response.

"It is our impression that aside from seeking to return the abducted soldiers, Israel is pursuing wider goals," Putin said. He did not elaborate.

[Tom Joad]

4. Why not just condemn Israel and its obvious aggression,

its holding of 9,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, its destruction of Gaza and now Lebanon.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. How butr hisbollah using human shields

and launching missiles from houses? Takes two to tango, not only one

[Tom Joad]

7. Why not end an illegal occupation in Palestine?

It takes two there too. One side must be the occupier, in this case Israel. The other side must be the occupied, in this case Palestine.

[bigtree]

6. Remarkable really in its warning to Israel. It will stand as a mirror of

for any appeal to the body of continued or escalating reprisals which impact innocents. It's an attempt to stem the immediate escalation. I don't think they can put all of that on the table just yet. Besides, didn't they try and get a U.S. veto?

[Tom Joad]

8. These people don't care about human life except for their own national

elites, and those that will help them. So they will take no real action to protect the people of Lebanon or Gaza from Israel aggression.

[liberal N proud]

9. The world leaders excluding George W. bu$h

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - World leaders at a big-power summit on Sunday strove to forge a unified position on the Middle East crisis with U.S. President George W. Bush uncompromisingly saying Israel had the right to defend itself.
<snip>
Earlier, Bush repeated U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself and again refused to call on Israel to halt its offensive.

"Our message to Israel is defend yourself but be mindful of the consequences, so we are urging restraint," he said after talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Bush did not back Lebanese calls for an immediate truce.

The United States earlier blocked any move by the U.N. Security Council to demand a ceasefire, saying the focus for diplomacy should be on the summit in St Petersburg.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/16/worldupdates/2006-07-16T140202Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-259722-2&sec=Worldupdates

[bigtree]

10. Text Of G8 Statement

Today, we the G-8 leaders, express our deepening concern about the situation in the Middle East, in particular the rising civilian casualties on all sides and the damage to infrastructure. We are united in our determination to pursue efforts to restore peace. We offer our full support for the U.N. Secretary General's mission presently in the region.

The root cause of the problems in the region is the absence of a comprehensive Middle East peace.

The immediate crisis results from efforts by extremist forces to destabilize the region and to frustrate the aspirations of the Palestinian, Israel and Lebanese people for democracy and peace. In Gaza, elements of Hamas launched rocket attacks against Israeli territory and abducted an Israeli soldier. In Lebanon, (Hezbollah), in violation of the Blue Line, attacked Israel from Lebanese territory and killed and captured Israeli soldiers, reversing the positive trends that began with the Syrian withdrawal in 2005, and undermining the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

These extremist elements and those that support them cannot be allowed to plunge the Middle East into chaos and provoke a wider conflict. The extremists must immediately halt their attacks.

It is also critical that Israel, while exercising the right to defend itself, be mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions. We call upon Israel to exercise utmost restraint, seeking to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure and to refrain from acts that would destabilize the Lebanese government.

The most urgent priority is to create conditions for a cessation of violence that will be sustainable and lay the foundation for a more permanent solution. This, in our judgment, requires:

- The return of the Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon unharmed.

- An end to the shelling of Israeli territory.

- An end to Israeli military operations and the early withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

- The release of the arrested Palestinian ministers and parliamentarians.

The framework for resolving these disputes is already established by international consensus.

In Lebanon, U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680 address the underlying conditions that gave rise to the crisis. We urge the U.N. Security Council to develop a plan for the full implementation of these resolutions.

We extend to the Government of Lebanon our full support in asserting its sovereign authority over all its territory in fulfillment of UNSCR 1559. This includes the deployment of Lebanese Armed Forces to all parts of the country, in particular the South, and the disarming of militias. We would welcome an examination by the U.N. Security Council of the possibility of an international security/monitoring presence.

We also support the initiation of a political dialogue between Lebanese and Israeli officials on all issues of concern to both parties. In addition, we will support the economic and humanitarian needs of the Lebanese people, including the convening at the right time of a donors conference.

In Gaza, the disengagement of Israel provided an opportunity to move a further step toward a two-state solution under the Road Map. All Palestinian parties should accept the existence of Israel, reject violence, and accept all previous agreements and obligations, including the Road Map. For its part, Israel needs to refrain from unilateral acts that could prejudice a final settlement and agree to negotiate in good faith.

Our goal is an immediate end to the current violence, a resumption of security cooperation and of a political engagement both among Palestinians and with Israel. This requires:

- An end to terrorist attacks against Israel.

- A resumption of the efforts of President (Mahmoud) Abbas to ensure that the Palestinian government complies with the Quartet principles.

-Immediate expansion of the temporary international mechanism for donors established under the direction of the Quartet.

- Israeli compliance with the Agreement on Movement and Access of November 2005 and action on other steps to ease the humanitarian plight of the people of Gaza and the West Bank.

- Resumption of security cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis.

- Action to ensure that the Palestinian security forces comply with Palestinian law and with the Roadmap, so that they are unified and effective in providing security for the Palestinian people.

- Resumption of dialogue between Palestinian and Israeli political officials.

These proposals are our contribution to the international effort underway to restore calm to the Middle East and provide a basis for progress towards a sustainable peace, in accordance with the relevant U.N. Security Council Resolutions. The Quartet will continue to play a central role. The G-8 welcomes the positive efforts of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan as well as other responsible regional actors to return the region to peace. We look forward to the report of the Secretary General's mission to the Security Council later this week which we believe could provide a framework for achieving our common objectives.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060716-4.html