Bush doubts Lebanon peace plan
Bush doubts Lebanon peace plan
By Our International Staff
Published: July 17 2006 19:55 | Last updated: July 18 2006 02:38
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Europe’s leaders on Monday sought to build momentum behind a United Nations plan to send soldiers to the conflict zone in Lebanon. But doubts about the viability of such a move – already resisted by Israel – were raised when George W. Bush, US president, made unguarded critical remarks about the thinking behind the idea.
Meeting at the G8 summit in St Petersburg, Tony Blair of Britain, Jacques Chirac of France and Angela Merkel of Germany rallied behind the proposal to deploy thousands of soldiers to southern Lebanon to serve as a “buffer” between the battling forces. This would supplement a UN force of 2,000 already in the area with a mandate to restore “peace and security”.
“The only way we are going to get a cessation of hostilities is if we have the deployment of an international force,” said Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, at an appearance with Mr Blair.
However, the practical difficulties were highlighted by developments as Israeli warplanes bombarded Lebanon for the sixth day in the wake of Hizbollah’s kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers.
Mr Annan called on the UN Security Council to discuss the stabilisation force at the end of this week, adding: “I appeal to governments . . . to make sure that we have the troops; well-trained, well-equipped troops that can go in quite quickly.”
Romano Prodi, Italian prime minister, suggested the UN presence be increased to 10,000 monitors. Italy would “play its part”. Finland, the current presidency of the European Union, said the EU as a whole would “stand ready” to participate. But Israel played down the idea of the UN force, saying it wanted to be “sure Hizbollah is not deployed at our northern border”.
More doubts were raised when Mr Bush was caught privately discussing the idea with Mr Blair, unaware that their remarks were being captured on a TV microphone.
Mr Bush appeared to fault Mr Annan for pushing for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and for exercising insufficient pressure on Syria, which the US and many of its allies allege has colluded in Hizbollah’s actions.
“I don’t like the sequence of it,” Mr Bush said to Mr Blair before the G8 leaders sat down to lunch. “His attitude is basically ceasefire and everything else happens.”
“What they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbollah to stop doing this shit and it’s over,” Mr Bush said. “I felt like telling Kofi to get on the phone with [Syrian president Bashar al-] Assad and make something happen.”
Mr Bush said Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, would soon visit the region.
Mr Bush’s position appeared to have support in the US, where John McCain, a senator known for his independent foreign policy views, proclaimed himself “amazed by some of our European friends who have called on the Israelis” to rein in their military campaign in Lebanon.
Reporting by Daniel Dombey, James Blitz, Neil Buckley and Caroline Daniel in St Petersburg, Ferry Biederman in Beirut, Sharmila Devi in Jerusalem, Christopher Grimes in New York, Mark Turner at the United Nations and George Parker
By Our International Staff
Published: July 17 2006 19:55 | Last updated: July 18 2006 02:38
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Europe’s leaders on Monday sought to build momentum behind a United Nations plan to send soldiers to the conflict zone in Lebanon. But doubts about the viability of such a move – already resisted by Israel – were raised when George W. Bush, US president, made unguarded critical remarks about the thinking behind the idea.
Meeting at the G8 summit in St Petersburg, Tony Blair of Britain, Jacques Chirac of France and Angela Merkel of Germany rallied behind the proposal to deploy thousands of soldiers to southern Lebanon to serve as a “buffer” between the battling forces. This would supplement a UN force of 2,000 already in the area with a mandate to restore “peace and security”.
“The only way we are going to get a cessation of hostilities is if we have the deployment of an international force,” said Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, at an appearance with Mr Blair.
However, the practical difficulties were highlighted by developments as Israeli warplanes bombarded Lebanon for the sixth day in the wake of Hizbollah’s kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers.
Mr Annan called on the UN Security Council to discuss the stabilisation force at the end of this week, adding: “I appeal to governments . . . to make sure that we have the troops; well-trained, well-equipped troops that can go in quite quickly.”
Romano Prodi, Italian prime minister, suggested the UN presence be increased to 10,000 monitors. Italy would “play its part”. Finland, the current presidency of the European Union, said the EU as a whole would “stand ready” to participate. But Israel played down the idea of the UN force, saying it wanted to be “sure Hizbollah is not deployed at our northern border”.
More doubts were raised when Mr Bush was caught privately discussing the idea with Mr Blair, unaware that their remarks were being captured on a TV microphone.
Mr Bush appeared to fault Mr Annan for pushing for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and for exercising insufficient pressure on Syria, which the US and many of its allies allege has colluded in Hizbollah’s actions.
“I don’t like the sequence of it,” Mr Bush said to Mr Blair before the G8 leaders sat down to lunch. “His attitude is basically ceasefire and everything else happens.”
“What they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbollah to stop doing this shit and it’s over,” Mr Bush said. “I felt like telling Kofi to get on the phone with [Syrian president Bashar al-] Assad and make something happen.”
Mr Bush said Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, would soon visit the region.
Mr Bush’s position appeared to have support in the US, where John McCain, a senator known for his independent foreign policy views, proclaimed himself “amazed by some of our European friends who have called on the Israelis” to rein in their military campaign in Lebanon.
Reporting by Daniel Dombey, James Blitz, Neil Buckley and Caroline Daniel in St Petersburg, Ferry Biederman in Beirut, Sharmila Devi in Jerusalem, Christopher Grimes in New York, Mark Turner at the United Nations and George Parker
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