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June 2, 2006 |
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FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT STRESS IN THEIR FINAL COMMUNIQUE THEIR COOPERATION IN ALL REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FIELDS. SAUDI ARABIA REITERATES THAT PERMANENT AND JUST PEACE WILL NOT PREVAIL UNLESS THE PALESTINIANS REGAIN THEIR RIGHTS. THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE PALESTINIAN ARENA AND IN SOUTH LEBANON. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak held a session of talks in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. At the outset of the meeting, the Egyptian President welcomed the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to his second country, Egypt. On his part, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his thanks to and appreciation of the president for a warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to him and the accompanying delegation. During the talks, they discussed the latest developments at the Arab, Islamic and international arenas topped by the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq. Aspects of cooperation and ways of their enhancement in all fields were also reviewed. On the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Prince Turki Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Turki Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, advisor to the king; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, advisor to the king; Prince Mansour Ibn Nasser Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, advisor to the king; and Saudi ambassador to Egypt Hisham Mohieddin Nazer. On the Egyptian side, it was attended by minister at Egypt's Presidency Omar Sulaiman; Foreign Minister Ahmad Abou Al-Gheit and Information Minister Anas Al-Fiqqi. A well-placed source said the two leaders discussed developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as inter-factional tension. Resumption of the on the way out peace process and Egypt's efforts to close the viewpoints of both the Palestinians and Israelis were also at the top of the agenda, the source said. The two leaders discussed efforts to transfer international aid to the Palestinian people. The Syrian-Lebanese file and ways of ending tension between Damascus and Beirut also ranked high on the talks, the source said. On the situation in Sudan, the source said the two leaders discussed the Egyptian-Saudi support for the Darfur peace process and reconstruction efforts in South Sudan. Bilateral ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and ways of boosting their ties in the different fields were discussed during the summit, the source added. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak held a bilateral meeting. During the meeting, they completed discussion of the talks discussed at the session of the official talks. Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak held a luncheon in honor of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. The banquet was attended by Prince Turki Ibn Abdul Aziz; members of the delegation accompanying the Monarch; and a number of Egyptian ministers and senior officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz left Riyadh for Sharm El-Sheikh on a visit to Egypt. At Riyadh Airbase Airport, the King was seen off by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense And Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Mohammed Ibn Abdullah Ibn Jelawi; Prince Fahd Ibn Mohammed Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Fahd Ibn Mishari Ibn Jelawi; Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, Vice Governor of Riyadh Region; a number of princes; ministers and senior officials. The delegation accompanying the King included Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Turki Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Mansour Ibn Nasser Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; and a number of officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz arrived to Sharm El-Sheikh on a visit to Egypt. At Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, the King was received by Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak; Prince Turki Ibn Abdul Aziz; Minister at Egypt's Presidency Omar Sulaiman; Foreign Minister Ahmad Abou Al-Gheit; Information Minister Anas Al-Fiqqi; Sinai Governor Major General Mohammed Hani Mitwali; Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Hisham Mohieddin Nazer; Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the Arab League Ambassador Ahmed Qattan and Saudi embassy members. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz left Sharm El-Sheikh after a brief visit to Egypt. At Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, the King was seen off by Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak; Prince Turki Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Ahmed bin Turki Ibn Abdul Aziz; Minister at Egypt's Presidency Omar Sulaiman; Foreign Minister Ahmad Abou Al-Gheit; Information Minister Anas Al-Fiqqi; Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Hisham Mohieddin Nazer; Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the Arab League Ambassador Ahmed Qattan and Saudi embassy members. In Egypt Ambassador Suleiman Awad, the official spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency, said the talks of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had focused on the important issues in the Middle East, notably the peace process, the developments of the Palestinian problem and the situation in Iraq. In a statement following the talks, Awad noted that the consultations of the two Leaders had come within the framework of the ongoing efforts to activate the peace process. He pointed out to exchange of visits by Saudi and Egyptian officials, telephone conversations between King Abdullah and President Mubarak as well as the participation of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan in the recent meeting of the quartet in New York on May 9, 2006. Awad said the Kingdom and Egypt call for the respect of the choice of the Palestinians and to avoid besieging or punishing them for their democratic choice. The official spokesman said King Abdullah and President Mubarak are keen on the success of the political process in Iraq, and they are looking for national reconciliation there. On the situation in Iran, the spokesman said the two leaders believe that the region is not in need of new tension zones, and view that the Middle East is not in need of nuclear weapons either owned by Iran or by Israel. 'The views of the two leaders were identical as regards the settlement of the dispute through dialogue and diplomatic channels without resorting to force which escalates tension in the region', he elaborated. On the Syrian-Lebanese issue, the two leaders are determined on continuing efforts so as to make their relations return to their proper path, and they hope that the Lebanese dialogue will continue on June 8, 2006, and the Syrian-Lebanese relations will be normalized', the spokesman added. On the same day Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, received at his palace Qatar's Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jabr Al Thani and the accompanying delegation. Sheikh Hamad handed the Crown Prince a message addressed to the Custodian Of The Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz From Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. The Qatari Minister also conveyed to the king and the Crown Prince the greetings of the Qatari Emir. In turn, the Crown Prince sent his greetings to the emir. During the audience, they exchanged cordial talks and discussed topics of mutual concern. The audience was attended by Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs; Dr. Musaed Ibn Mohammed Al-Eiban, Minister of State and Cabinet's Member; Mohammed Ibn Salim Al-Mari, special secretary to the Crown Prince and Qatar's Ambassador to the kingdom Ali Bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received at the Royal Court at Al-Yamamah Palace princes, senior officials and a group of citizens who came to greet him. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also received Prince Mohammed Ibn Nasser Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Jazan Region; Prince Fahd Ibn Badr Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Jouf Region; delegations of citizens of the two regions and Zulfi Governorate. In their speeches, they expressed their gratitude to the King for the gigantic projects and great developmental progress in all fields in the Kingdom, hoping that the Monarch visits their regions. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his thanks to them, praising their sincerity and faithfulness to their religion, homeland and state. I will visit you at the start of winter, the King said. The audiences were attended by a number of princes and officials. On the other hand the Non-Aligned Movement condemned Israel for occupying Palestinian lands. Meeting in Malaysia's administrative capital, the foreign ministers of NAM member nations also demanded that Israel accede to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty without delay, and open its nuclear facilities to international inspection. On Iran, the ministers "reaffirmed the basic and inalienable right" of all countries to develop, produce and use atomic energy "for peaceful purposes, without any discrimination and in conformity with their respective legal obligations," said a NAM declaration at the end of the two-day meeting. The NAM declaration said the ministers "reaffirmed the inviolability of peaceful nuclear activities and that any attack or threat of attack against peaceful nuclear facilities operational or under construction poses a great danger to human beings and the environment." It said an attack would also be a "grave violation of international law, principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and regulations of the IAEA," the International Atomic Energy Agency. The 114-nation Non-Aligned Movement urged the Hamas and Fatah Factions of the Palestinians to end their differences, which have derailed peace efforts with Israel. The call was made at a special meeting on the Palestinian problem ahead of a two-day annual meeting of NAM nations' foreign ministers. The ministerial meeting is a prelude to the NAM summit in Cuba in September when it takes over the group's chairmanship. "We call on the Palestinian sides to get together to project a more united front,» Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who chaired the special meeting, told reporters. «Any disunity will derail the efforts to find a durable and lasting peace in Palestine,» he said. Meatime Malaysia said at the group's ministerial talks that the 114-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) must defend Iran's right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said there should be one set of rules for everybody. "Allowing Israel to develop nuclear weapons with impunity which it does not deny while others in the region are prohibited from doing so, is a blatant case of double standards," he said. "It has created a destabilizing asymmetry in a volatile part of the world," he added. "We must recognize Iran's right to develop such technology for peaceful purposes." Badawi said that NAM, which is made up of mostly developing countries, will continue to defend the right of all signatories to the non-proliferation treaty to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. He also called for an immediate resolution to the Palestinian crisis, describing it as "one of the most profound tragedies of our time." "The so-called peace process now lies in tatters," he said, calling for an end to sanctions and saying the conflict would not end until the rights of the Palestinian people were recognized. He called for recognition of the Hamas government and said that it "must be engaged through contacts and dialogue, not shunned or ostracized and sanctioned." Badawi described the results of the US-led war on terrorism as "patchy at best" and that it had failed to tackle the root causes of terrorism. "The situation in Iraq, in Palestine and in Afghanistan, once resolved, will have a defining effect on the fight against terrorism and indeed on the slide in the relations between the West and the Islamic world as a whole," he said. Badawi also criticized the sprawling NAM movement, which embraces democracies and thriving economies as well as international outcasts Myanmar and North Korea, for its lack of unity. "We are sometimes unable to use our numerical strength to its best advantage. This poses a real challenge to the chair of the movement," he said. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reiterated that just and durable peace will never be realized in the Middle East without restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories including Al-Quds, Syrian Golan Heights as well as the remaining occupied territories in Lebanon. The Kingdom urged Israel to put an end to its aggressive practices for realizing expansionist goals. The Kingdom's remarks came at the speech delivered by Prince Dr Turki Ibn Mohammed Ibn Saud al-Kabeer, the Assistant Under Secretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs and head of the administration of the international organizations at the foreign ministry, before the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Purajaya Malaysia. He noted that the Arabs adopted at their Summit held in Beirut in 2002 a peace initiative for realizing security and stability in the Middle East. 'The current situation in the Middle East and its repercussions make it necessary to coordinate efforts for avoiding the region woes of wars and their adverse impact ', said Prince Turki pointing out to the deteriorating situation in Iraq. He reiterated the support of the Kingdom to the new government in Iraq and said the Kingdom respects the political choice of the Iraqi people. The Kingdom is looking for the convening of the national conference in Iraq and hopes it will realize national reconciliation as well as security and stability in Iraq', he said . Prince Turki underlined the importance of adherence to the conventions of the UN and the non-aligned movement as well as enhancing the international legitimacy in the fields of disarmament. He also underlined the importance of adherence to the resolutions issued by the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Non-Aligned Movement so as to make the Middle East and the Gulf regions free from weapons mass-destruction. Prince Turki offered the condolences of the Kingdom over the victims of the earthquake, which recently hit Indonesia. He noted that the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has ordered allocation of urgent financial assistance for Indonesia amounting to $5 million in addition to kind assistance including food materials and medical supplies as well as tents and blankets. Prince Turki slammed the terror acts which had harmed the international community, and said the Kingdom had deplored and condemned all forms of terror acts. He noted that the Kingdom had drawn attention to the menace of terrorism and called for coordination of efforts under the umbrella of the UN to work for eradication of terrorism. Prince Turki said the international conference for combating terrorism held in Riyadh last year called for establishing an international centre for combating terrorism. Prince Turki called for devoting efforts for realizing peace, security and stability which are based on justice. He also called for activating the role of the Non-Aligned Movement in dealing with the current international problems so as to reach a promising future for the coming generations. Egypt welcomed the outcome of the Non-Aligned Movement Foreign Ministerial Conference that was hosted by Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia, over the past two days. "The final document of the conference illustrated NAM countries' stand as regards many international and regional political and economic issues from the dialogue among civilizations to poverty, development strategies, human rights, UN reforms approval of Egypt's offer to host the 2009 NAM summit," Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit told diplomatic reporters. Egypt has succeeded in adding to the conference's document a paragraph on the Iranian nuclear issue that called for the establishment of an area free from weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and stressed the importance of Israel's signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of condolences to Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the death and casualties resulted from the earthquake recently hit Java islands. In his own name and on behalf of the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the monarch expressed his condolences to the President and the families of the victims. The King prayed to Almighty Allah to bless the martyrs' souls and wished a quick recovery for the injured. A similar cable of condolences was sent to the Indonesian President by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. Under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the first of the relief planes sent by Saudi Arabia carrying 74 tons of relief aid to the Indonesian quake-victims arrived here today to ease sufferings of the Java people. The plane was received at Jakarta International Airport by Speaker of the Indonesian Shoura (consultative) Council Dr.Mohammad Hidaiyat Nour Waheed and Saudi Charge D' Affairs in Indonesia Abdullah Al-Ghamdi. Al-Ghamdi said that such kind of help comes within the humanitarian aid given to victims of natural disasters all over the world and it affirms the solidarity of Saudi Arabia with the Indonesian people pointing out that King Abdullah has announced the donation of $5 million to contribute to relief efforts. Al-Ghamdi added that the 'Saudi Relief Air Bridge' will continue throughout this week carrying more and more aid equipment to quake-affected areas. A Saudi Charitable Campaign for the Relief of the Afflicted People of the Earthquake and Tsunami supervised by Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior, has started provision of relief and humanitarian urgent aid for the people inflicted by the earthquake recently hit central Java in Indonesia. Mubarak bin Saeed Al-Bakr, the Executive Director of the Campaign in East Asia pointed out that the campaign has opened an office and formed a task force based in Jujakarta to provide assistance urgently. On the Palestinian arena the Closing Statement of the Palestinian National Dialogue Conference stressed that There are no contradictions between our people and their resistance groups. The national dialogue conference stresses that all interpretations and disputed issues must be solved through democratic dialogue and in an atmosphere embodying the national spirit of our people. There can be no use of arms among the people of the same cause. Palestinian blood is scared and we are all forbidden from wrongly shedding one drop of Palestinian blood in light of our struggle against the enemy, which is occupying our lands and displacing our people. The conference rejects any internal fighting, which will benefit no one save our enemy. The national dialogue conference calls for a national code of honor among the forces and factions to ban all forms of infighting regardless of any possible reasons or justifications. It also stresses that political debate among national ranks at the table should be endorsed for the benefit of our people and not through weapons and shedding Palestinian blood. The national dialogue conference affirms its total rejection to the oppressive siege imposed on our people for the last three months by the US and Israel following the PLC elections. This siege is a form of collective punishment against our people over and above the daily Israeli measures of occupation, aggression settlement activities and the apartheid wall. This siege will never help to achieve security, peace and stability in the Middle East. This explosive situation requires Arab and international action to end the siege and resume international assistance to our people, in addition to releasing the tax revenues held by the Israeli government for the third month in a row. The national dialogue conference declares its complete rejection and resistance to Olmert's plan to confiscate our land and divide our homeland into ghettos and isolated cantons; the conference rejects all Israeli settlement attempts aimed at usurping Al-Quds Al-Shareef and the Jordan Valley area and annexing settlements there to Israel which would result in the confiscation of 58% of West Bank territory. We reiterate that peace and security will never be reached as long as there are settlements and the wall on our land. The national dialogue conference stresses that it is impossible to achieve security and peace without a full Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian and Arab territories occupied in the 1967 war; hence, we call on all Arab and international parties to confront Olmert's settlement and expansion plan and to endorse the ruling issued by the International Court of Justice at The Hague which declared the occupation, settlements and the apartheid wall illegal, especially in Al-Quds Al-Shareef. We stress that our people will hold fast to their land, to their right to self-determination, to their right of return and to establishing an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital. The conference reaffirms that reinforcing the rule of law and order and an independent judiciary are among the first national tasks to be undertaken by us all. There is no authority above that of the rule of the law. Security chaos is a serious threat to the security of our homeland and people and it should be firmly confronted. We need complete adherence to the Basic Law, which organizes the activity of the legislative, executive, and judicial authorities in the PNA. We also need to strengthen the security services and provide them with the necessary capacities, be it manpower or weapons, so they can put an end to the security chaos. The national dialogue conference calls for reforming the judicial system and activating its role by carrying out and enforcing its rulings and endorsing the independence of the judicial authority and all its commissions. Conference participants requested that Abu Mazen, Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee, to call on the Higher Committee comprised of the Chairman, members of the PLO Executive Committee, PNC Speaker and the General Secretaries of all Palestinian factions and independent national figures, to convene as soon as possible within a period not exceeding the end of June in order to reactivate and develop the PLO and to promote its status as the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people. The national dialogue conference reaffirms that resisting the occupation and settlements is our people's legitimate right enshrined in international charters; hence, we call on all forces and groups to form national unity committees to defend our land and our people in every village and city. The national dialogue conference reaffirms that the cause of the Palestinian refugees is a national cause and one that embodies our identity and future; hence, we stress that we fully adhere to UN Resolution 194 pertaining to the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and homeland. The national dialogue conference rejects all attempts that aim to nullify the refugee right of return and disperse the refugees in various countries. We stress that the right of return is a sacred right and is a collective and individual right, which cannot be obliterated by any party in the world. The conference participants praised all initiatives and documents presented to the conference, particularly the national conciliation document drafted by the prisoners' movement and which we consider a sound basis for national dialogue. The conference also stresses that all relevant parties are working for the release of our prisoners and detainees and calls on all human rights organizations to direct their efforts in this direction. In closing, the national dialogue conference decided to form a national dialogue committee headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, comprised of representatives from the PNC, the PLC, the PLO Executive Committee, the government, all factions from the national and Islamic forces, parliament blocs, the private sector and the civil society organizations. The committee shall start work immediately with the aim of formulating a unified national action program that promotes and reinforces our national unity. Meantime the Palestinian prime minister pledged to pay salaries within days to thousands of government employees who have not received wages since March as a result of an international funds freeze. Ismail Haniya, in comments did not disclose the source of the funds. Palestinian banks have so far refused to transfer money to the Palestinian Authority, fearing US sanctions. "I would like to announce that the ministry of finance will begin to pay a full month's wages to those earning a monthly salary of up to 1,500 shekels ($332). The number of those employees is 40,000," Haniya said. He also promised to pay each of the other 125,000 government workers, who earn higher salaries, an advance of 1,500 shekels. In Washington King Abudllah II of Jordan met US President George W. Bush. The Jordanian Monarch urged Bush to continue his Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts. A statement issued by the Jordanian embassy said King Abdullah II had underscored the importance of exerting further efforts to reach a settlement based on the establishment of two states. Underscoring the importance of extending humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, King Abdullah II said Jordan is planning to play an important role in the peace process. On the other hand the Lebanese-Israeli border went ablaze following months of calm as Israeli artillery heavily bombarded several southern Lebanese villages and exchanged fire with Hezbollah resulting in the death of one of the resistance's fighters and several injuries among civilians. Israeli warplanes also hit several bases run by pro-Syrian Palestinian factions around Lebanon, killing at least two Palestinians and injuring several others. Commenting on the aggression, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora blamed the Israeli occupation of Lebanese land, and said it was the origin of the problem. The new escalation of violence came a few hours after rockets fired by Islamic Jihad from Lebanon into northern Israel wounded an Israeli soldier. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that Israel would hit back hard "if guerrillas in Lebanon continue firing on Israel's north." Olmert said he hoped Israel's initial response would bring an end to the attacks from Lebanon. UN peacekeepers later brokered a cease-fire. "We are in contact with both sides. We brokered a cease-fire and we hope this agreement will take hold," Milos Strugar, senior adviser to UNIFIL said. Meantime the Lebanese Army said Israeli warplanes violated Lebanon's airspace, one day after rockets fired from south Lebanon sparked tit-for-tat clashes in which two militants were killed. Israel said it wanted to avoid an escalation of fighting with militants in Lebanon after the worst flare-up of violence this year on the volatile border, but insisted the country would defend itself against attack. "Ten enemy fighter-bombers violated Lebanese airspace twice in the middle of the day," the army said. The warplanes over flew the entire country and broke the sound barrier over the southern port city of Tyre. "Israel has no interest in an escalation on the northern border, but will know how to hurt those who try to hurt its citizens even more," Defense Minister Amir Peretz told Israeli radio earlier. He called the response to Sunday's rocket attacks "determined and unequivocal, and the message was understood. Israel will do everything in order to lead to calm and quiet on the northern border." The fighting was sparked when rockets were fired into northern Israel and Israel responded with air raids on guerrilla bases deep inside Lebanon. Milos Strugel, spokesman for the peacekeepers, called the situation "fragile" in remarks to Lebanese television. The rocket attacks from Lebanon hit deeper into Israel than ever before, near the town of Safed, and residents of the northern towns of Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya were ordered into shelters for several hours. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora called on the international community to force Israel to withdraw from the disputed Shebaa Farms area, blaming the worsening situation on the frontier on "continuing Israeli occupation." |
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