EU denies giving Israel green light

[spindrifter]

Staff and agencies
Thursday July 27, 2006
Guardian Unlimited

The European Union rebuked the Israeli government today after its justice minister claimed "permission from the world" to press on with its Lebanon campaign.

Haim Ramon, who is a close ally of the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said failure at yesterday's Rome conference to agree on an immediate ceasefire in the 16-day-old crisis amounted to a green light for Israel to continue its offensive.

As both sides stepped up their rocket and missile attacks and Israel called up more reserves, the Finnish foreign minister, Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, called the interpretation "totally wrong" and said the fighting should stop immediately. "Most of the countries, including the European Union, <...> specifically want an immediate halt to the hostilities," he said.

The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, called Mr Ramon's words "a gross misinterpretation".

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1831570,00.html

[babylonsister]

1. GOOD! nt

[w4rma]

2. Blah blah. Words. (nt)

[SeaBob]

3. Good! Israel's leaders need to be called on their

use of the Thesaurus of wishful thinking every time they use it.