Blessed Are The Peacemakers . . .

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Diplomatic Efforts Underway in Middle East

(07-16) BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- The United Nations, the European Union and Italy pushed ahead with separate efforts Sunday to try to end the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.

A senior U.N. envoy led a delegation visiting Beirut for talks with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. Vijay Nambiar, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special political adviser, called afterward for the release of captured Israeli soldiers, the protection of civilians and infrastructure and expressed support for Lebanon's appeal for a cease-fire.

The U.N. team was expected to visit Israel to meet with officials there, Lebanese media reports said.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/07/16/international/i160726D86.DTL&feed=rss.news



G-8 Leaders Demand Halt to Mideast Attacks

Jul 16, 1:10 PM EDT
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/G8_SUMMIT?SITE=S...

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.

Text Of G8 Statement: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060716-4.html



Gulf Nations Pledge Financial Aid To Help Stricken Lebanese

DUBAI (AP)--Governments of three Gulf states have pledged a total of $90 million in immediate aid to Lebanon to help it deal with the humanitarian consequences of Israel's airstrikes.

The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, pledged $20 million for medicine and relief "to help alleviate the sufferings of the Lebanese people who have been under Israeli attack for days," the official Emirates news agency WAM quoted Sheik Khalifa as saying.

The Abu Dhabi Red Crescent has begun transferring aid to the Lebanese Red Cross for the purchase of medicine, blankets and temporary shelter materials, said Red Crescent spokesman Abdul Rahman al-Tenaiji in Abu Dhabi..

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah pledged $50 million and Kuwait added another $20 million for Lebanon.

Kuwait's Red Crescent Society said Monday it was starting a collection campaign for Lebanon.

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/cgi/NGoto/151491597



ST. PETERSBURG, Russia Jul 17, 2006 (AP)— British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called Monday for the deployment of international forces to stop Hezbollah from bombing Israel, a proposal that Israel quickly rejected.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is opposed to sending international forces to Lebanon in an effort to end bloodshed in the region, senior officials said Monday. Olmert instead wants Lebanese forces to take control of the border area with Israel and wants the Hezbollah militia disarmed.

To help end the fighting, the European Union in Brussels announced it is considering deploying a peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia will consider contributing troops to an international force for the Mideast if U.N. approves deployment. France, meanwhile, said it is sending Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to Beirut to express support for Lebanon's government.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2200915



Qatar, Egypt back Arab summit

Monday, July 17, 2006
Cairo

Six of the 22 members of the Arab League favour holding an Arab summit on the violence between Israel and Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said.

The response falls short of the two-thirds majority needed for a summit to go ahead but more governments could sign up for a summit in the days to come, a league official added.

The six members are Algeria, Egypt, Qatar, Sudan, Yemen and the Palestinians

. http://www.tradearabia.com/tanews/newsdetails_snLAW_article108329_cnt.html



Italian PM says 10,000 peacekeepers needed in Lebanon-Israel

STRELNA, July 17 (RIA Novosti) - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Monday another 8,000 peacekeepers might be needed in the Lebanon-Israel conflict zone.

The situation in the Middle East escalated after the Hizbollah Islamist group in Lebanon attacked Israeli facilities and took Israeli servicemen hostage. In response, Israel deployed troops to Lebanon and launched devastating air strikes on the country. About 2,000 international peacekeepers are currently in the conflict zone.

Addressing a news conference on the third concluding day of the G8 summit in St. Petersburg, Prodi said he had discussed the issue with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Prodi said Italy backed the idea of sending international peacekeepers to the conflict zone and was ready to help implement this idea. He added that he had informed Annan about his country's willingness.

Prodi also said he had instructed relevant agencies in Italy to prepare for a possible deployment in the conflict zone if UN Security Council voted in favor of the peacekeeping operation.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060717/51476386.html



Small UN force in Lebanon at risk in conflict

BEIRUT (AFX) - The 2,000-strong UN force deployed in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border said today that Israel's onslaught was endangering its soldiers, one of whom has been seriously wounded.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement two of its positions were hit by rounds from the Israelis on Sunday and that 15 other posts had near misses.

"There is a pressing need for UNIFIL to secure supplies of diesel fuel, water, and food for its positions throughout the area," UNIFIL said.

It stressed that repeated requests to the Israeli military for safe passage for logistic and refugee convoys have gone unanswered.

Led by a French general, UNIFIL is made up of soldiers from China, France, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy and Poland, but is largely powerless militarily. Its mandate, renewed every six months, next expires on July 31.

http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=5715360&action=article

[whistle]

1. Thanks, a very useful summary of unfolding events

[Warpy]

2. And where is the US? Its leader is sitting around, legs splayed

apart, rhapsodizing about a PIG DINNER.

I am so ashamed of my country. It used to be at the front of the line when it came to trying to create diplomatic solutions to end wars.

Congress may not have a choice in 2009. They may be forced to remove this moron, his money grabbing VP, and his incompetent staff.

[bigtree]

4. They need to step it up

no matter what mistakes have been made

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5. U.N. envoy in Lebanon to relay concrete ideas to Israel on ending fighting

July 17, 2006 7:03 AM

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - A senior U.N. envoy said Monday he will present Israel with ''concrete ideas'' to end the latest round of fighting after meeting with Lebanon's prime minister.

But Vijay Nambiar, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special political adviser, warned that ''much diplomatic work needs to be done.''

He said he will go to Israel shortly and was optimistic about his peace efforts to end the six-day-old bombardment of Lebanon by Israeli warplanes and rocket attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas on Israel.

''We have made some promising first efforts on the way forward,'' he said.

http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=564771539514688516

[leftchick]

13. sitting back watching it play out

bolton downplayed a cease fire. He really is a fuckwad!

[lonestarnot]

3. Yes, but good luck on this one. LOL

[Minnesota Libra]

6. In the past the USA would have already flown a............

....delegation in to broker a peace. Look what idiot boy has done to this country. :wtf:

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11. US Holding Up Action in the UN Security Council

US:Security Council Should Delay Action On Mideast Crisis

UNITED NATIONS (AP)--The U.N. Security Council should delay any action on the escalating conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas until a U.N. mission now in the Mideast trying to defuse the crisis returns to New York later this week, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Monday.

"I think it's very important that with events as unclear and fast-moving as they are that the Security Council not do anything to unsettle the matter further," he told reporters.

Lebanon accused the U.S. late Saturday of blocking a Security Council statement calling for a cease-fire. Lebanese special envoy Nouhad Mahmoud said the impotence of the U.N.'s most powerful body sent the wrong signal to small countries and the Arab world.

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/cgi/NGoto/151529929?-16529

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7. No UNSC action on Israeli-Lebanese war till UN mission returns from region

US UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (KUNA) -- US envoy John Bolton on Monday said the Security Council will not take any action on the Israeli-Lebanese war until the return of a UN team dispatched to the region last week to help defuse the crisis, stressing that there is no need for a cease-fire call or deployment of a peace-keeping force as proposed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=887598

[peacetalksforall]

8. If this is truly about water-oil pipelines to the Mediterranean, Bolton

will fight peacemakers and peace-enforcers.

Bolton has no respect for the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes represent human attainments.

Doesn't apply to Bolton.

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9. it doesn't. Bolton and the U.S. are helping Israel resist these efforts

for peace

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10. Annan thinking of removing UN 'dependents' from Lebanon

The Secretary-General emphasized the need for the parties "to agree as soon as practicable to a cessation of hostilities” and noted that "to do that, they need to give diplomacy time and space for us to work."

He acknowledged that "the fighting may continue for a while" but once again appealed to the parties “to focus their targets narrowly and to bear in mind that under international humanitarian law they have an obligation to spare civilian lives, they have an obligation to spare civilian infrastructure, they have an obligation to stay away from targets like electricity and communication and things that civilians need for their livelihood."

He added that when it comes to seeking donations for relief operations, "what is important is that not that we go out and collect humanitarian money and reconstruction money – yes we will need that in time – but we have to do whatever we can to stop the destruction and the killing as much as we can."

The UN, which has a presence on the ground, is "looking at possibilities of taking dependents out of Lebanon.” That, he added, "implies that the situation is extremely dangerous and if that is the case, that is one more urgent reason for us to do whatever we can to get the parties to bring a halt to this."

http://www.axcessnews.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=10465

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12. West flounders as old divisions resurface

Tuesday July 18, 2006
The Guardian

A joint statement issued yesterday by European foreign ministers, agreed after hours of tortuous negotiation, exposed what has become increasingly clear in recent days: the west is paralysed over how to deal with the Israeli-Lebanese conflict.

The British government lined up with Germany, Israel's closest ally in the European Union, to remove from the draft statement criticism of Israel. The divisions in Brussels reflected similar disagreements at the G8 summit in St Petersburg at the weekend.

Faced with a conflict that has resulted in a high civilian death toll and poses a threat to the entire region, the US, Britain, Russia, France and other major countries that engage with the Middle East have been left floundering. The missiles and rockets have exposed divisions in the international community over the causes of the conflict and how to end it.

In an echo of the build-up to the Iraq war, the US and Britain have again joined forces against France, Russia and others. And Tony Blair has again opened himself up to criticism in the UK, accused by Labour MPs of being too soft on Israel and too close to Washington.

more: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,,1823059,00.html

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14. Prodi says another 8,000 peacekeepers needed in Lebanon-Israel conflict

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Monday that another 8,000 peacekeepers might be needed in the Lebanon-Israel conflict zone.

The Italian prime minister told a press conference that he discussed the issue with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the three-day G8 summit which ended in St. Petersburg on Monday afternoon.

Prodi said Italy backed the idea of sending international peacekeepers to the conflict zone and was ready to help implement it, adding that he had informed Annan about his country's willingness.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200607/18/eng20060718_284161.html