July 21, 2006

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES ISSUES HIS DIRECTIVES TO ORGANIZE A POPULAR DONATION CAMPAIGN TO HELP THE LEBANESE PEOPLE. ANNAN HOLDS HEZBOLLAH RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WAR, CONDEMNS ISRAEL'S EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE, CALLS FOR THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES AND FOR CONVENING AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. PRIME MINISTER SINIORA: ISRAEL'S ACTIONS HAVE TORN THE COUNTRY TO SHREDS. THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. PEREZ: ISRAEL IS NOT PLANNING TO ATTACK IRAN OR SYRIA. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has ordered that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia carry out a popular donation campaign to help the Lebanese people suffering from the Israeli vicious attacks Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Interior Minister, said. The Saudi television's first channel will organize the campaign next Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Saudi Embassy in Beirut reported that 12,500 Saudi citizens have been evacuated from Lebanon to Syria, where they boarded Saudi Airlines flights back to the Kingdom. Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aziz Khojah has appealed to any Saudis remaining in the country to leave as quickly as possible "so that their safety may be assured." The ambassador estimated that the number of remaining Saudis was "no more than 300." "They're distributed in official missions, Saudi Airlines offices and media establishments in addition to a few working in Saudi companies," he said to Arab News by phone from Beirut. Khojah said he was instructed by Riyadh to provide the stranded Saudis all facilities including free accommodation in hotels close to the embassy premises, food and transportation. "All of these expenses were met by the Saudi government," he said. The Syria-bound bus convoys organized by the Saudi Embassy in Beirut followed a less direct route because the highway linking Beirut with Damascus has been under heavy Israeli bombardment. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General, has been corresponding regularly with the ambassador directly about the safety of the Saudi citizens in Lebanon and the progress of the evacuation operations. As the evacuation procedures wind to a close, the embassy is now directing its efforts to humanitarian relief efforts. The mission will also be facilitating the transfer of Lebanese nationals with residency permits to Saudi Arabia. On the other hand Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland Prince Mohammad Ibn Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz met with the Chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the British parliament Mike Gibbs. The meeting was attended by member John Stanley. During the meeting, discussions focused on the tragic situation suffered by the Palestinian people as a result of the Israeli aggression which also targeted Lebanon and its people, caused the destruction of its infrastructure and left human and economic disasters and a grave danger to the whole region. The British parliamentarians expressed displeasure with Israeli vicious attacks against Lebanon. They commended the Saudi position on Lebanon's situation. A statement issued by the Saudi embassy said that Prince Mohammad also discussed with the two the committee's recent report on terrorism which praised Saudi anti-terrorism efforts. On the other hand renewing his urgent appeal for an end to the civilian carnage in Lebanon and northern Israel and condemning both that country's use of excessive force as well as Hezbollah's recklessness, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed elements for a political framework aimed at achieving a lasting solution to the conflict. "Both the deliberate targeting by Hezbollah of Israeli population centres with hundreds of indiscriminate weapons and Israel's disproportionate use of force and collective punishment of the Lebanese people must stop," Mr. Annan told the Security Council upon his return to UN Headquarters today. Painting a grim picture of the widespread devastation, he noted that already, over 300 Lebanese have been killed and more than 600 wounded mainly civilians, about one third of them children. "Much of the infrastructure in Beirut and around the country has been destroyed," he said. "Lebanon remains under an Israeli military blockade, imposed by sea and air." At the same time, he observed that the Israeli people, "who had hoped that Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon would bring security along their northern border, find themselves under constant Hezbollah rocket attacks, which every day reach further into Israeli territory." To date 28 Israelis have been killed and over 200 wounded. Humanitarian conditions continue to worsen, and the UN is unable to respond with aid. "Israeli operations have made it impossible for UN agencies and their humanitarian partners to reach almost any part of southern Lebanon, even to assess the needs, let alone to deliver the actual assistance needed." The Secretary-General said the abducted Israeli soldiers "must be released as soon as possible, and in any event the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) must be granted immediate access to them." He added that the Israeli Government "must allow humanitarian agencies access to civilians. And the democratically elected Government of Lebanon must be urgently supported in its hour of crisis." In parallel with these "urgent steps," he said a political framework must be developed for a lasting settlement of the conflict, voicing his conviction that "most people in the region rightly reject a simple return to the status quo ante, since any truce based on such a limited outcome could not be expected to last." The Secretary-General was blunt in describing the findings of the mission he sent to the region, headed by his Special Adviser Vijay Nambiar. "Let me be frank with the Council," he said. "The mission's assessment is that there are serious obstacles to reaching a ceasefire, or even to diminishing the violence quickly." Despite the fact that "a full ceasefire remains difficult to achieve at this time," he said the international community must make its position clear on "the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and a far greater and more credible effort by Israel to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure while the conditions for such a cessation are urgently developed." The team has suggested elements which must form the political basis of a lasting ceasefire, and on which they have conducted consultations with the leaders of Lebanon and Israel. Those elements include the transfer of the Israeli soldiers whose capture sparked the crisis to Lebanese authorities under the auspices of the ICRC, with a view to their repatriation, and an ensuing ceasefire. On the Lebanese side of the Blue Line as the line of withdrawal is known an expanded peacekeeping force would work to stabilize the situation, working with the Lebanese Government to help strengthen its army, deploy it fully throughout the area and establish Government sovereignty and control there. At the same time, the Prime Minister of Lebanon would unequivocally confirm to the Secretary-General and the Security Council that his country will respect the Blue Line in its entirety until agreement on Lebanon's final international boundaries is reached. A donor framework would be established to secure funding for an urgent package of aid, reconstruction and development for Lebanon, while a mechanism involving key regional and international actors would be set up to monitor and guarantee the implementation of all aspects of the agreement, Mr. Annan said. On the origins of the fighting, he said the trigger was Hezbollah's "provocative attack" on 12 July. The Lebanese Government clearly had no advance knowledge of this attack, which Mr. Annan condemned at the time, acknowledging Israel's right to self-defence. He repeated that condemnation today, also condemning "Hezbollah's reckless disregard for the wishes of the elected Government of Lebanon, and for the interests of the Lebanese people and the wider region." While Israel states that it has no quarrel with the Government or the people of Lebanon, and that it is taking extreme precautions to avoid harm to them, "a number of its actions have hurt and killed Lebanese civilians and military personnel and caused great damage to infrastructure." The excessive use of force is to be condemned, Mr. Annan said. The Secretary-General cited Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who said Israel's actions had "torn the country to shreds." He also noted the observation of the Nambiar team that Israel's operations, whatever their effect on Hezbollah's military capabilities, "are doing little or nothing to decrease popular support for Hezbollah in Lebanon or the region, but are doing a great deal to weaken the Government of Lebanon." Mr. Annan also voiced concern about Gaza, where Palestinians "are suffering deeply, with well over 100, many of them civilians, killed in the last month alone." He called for "an immediate cessation of indiscriminate and disproportionate violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and a reopening of closed crossing-points, without which Gaza will continue to be sucked into a downward spiral of suffering and chaos, and the region further inflamed." The Secretary-General emphasized that only the simultaneous implementation of the different elements of the package he put forward will allow for the transformation of any cessation of hostilities into a durable ceasefire. "When this is achieved, the international community will need to develop a framework for the final delineation of the borders of Lebanon and a decisive revival of the Middle East peace process," he said. Nouhad Mahmoud, Special Envoy of Lebanon, was pleased with Annan's "positive" presentation, calling him "the voice of reason" as he urged for humanitarian aid and a cease-fire to end the suffering of the people of Lebanon. US Ambassador Bolton acknowledged the Secretary-General's proposal, but said he still had a number of questions. "What does a terrorist group think a ceasefire is? You can use the cessation of hostilities, or truce, or cease-fire. Nobody's yet explained how a terrorist group in a democratic state comes to a mutual ceasefire." Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman, told reporters that a ceasefire was not possible and that he was "disturbed" by Annan's presentation. "Terror is the root cause of what is happening in Lebanon today. Terror has taken that country hostage and made it a victim and made its own people the victims of terror. Without addressing terror, the whole question could not be addressed," he said. Gillerman said there was no timeline for Israel's action in Lebanon and that "it will take as long as it will take". "It will take them very, very, long and they won't achieve anything, only the destruction of Lebanon. And I think that is what they aim for," Nouhad Mahmoud, Special Envoy of Lebanon, told reporters in response. Israeli warplanes battered south Beirut again and large swathes of the south, from which Hezbollah fired more rocket volleys into Israel. Israeli troops met fierce resistance from Hezbollah fighters as they crossed into Lebanon to seek tunnels and weapons after warning residents in a nearly 30 kilometer deep (20 mile) swath of the south along the border to flee. In Lebanon official sources said the Prime Ministers targets are to stop the fighting ensure the social needs of the immigrants and preserving the unity of the country. In this context Prime Minister Fouad Siniora will hold a meeting with the Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohamed Rashid Qabbani, the deputy of Shiite Council Sheikh Abdul Amir Qablan and the Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri. Meantime Italy said it is ready to extend humanitarian aid to Lebanon and to participate in international efforts underway aimed at brokering a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, following separate talks that head of the Future bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri held in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema. MP Hariri, who has been touring Arab and European capitals to discuss the dangerous situation in Lebanon due to Israel's offensive against the country, reiterated calls for a comprehensive settlement to the conflict after meeting Italian officials. Head of the Future bloc told reporters that despite statements by some countries that Hezbollah and Lebanon had instigated the fighting, the fact is that Israel is killing innocent civilians, and a cease-fire should be brokered. He also urged Italian backing for providing humanitarian aid Lebanon, citing the displacement of five hundred thousand Lebanese and the looming prospects of famine and the lack of medical supplies. MP Hariri stressed that it is unfair for the Lebanese to pay the price for a regional conflict, adding the Lebanese seek peace. He said a final settlement could include the deployment of multinational forces along the Lebanese-Israeli border. On the other hand U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice intends to travel to the Middle East to seek to calm the region where Israel has bombarded Lebanon for days and the militant group Hezbollah has fired rockets into the Jewish state. "At some point in the future, the secretary intends to travel to the region," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. There is overwhelming support in Congress for the Administration's position, with both the Senate and the House of Representatives passing by huge majorities resolutions supporting Israel's action in Lebanon and holding Hezbollah, Syria and Iran responsible for the fighting and the bloodshed. On the other hand Defense Minister Amir Peretz warned Thursday amid intense fighting between small numbers of troops and Hizbullah guerrillas Israel will launch a full-scale ground operation in Lebanon if necessary. "If we reach the conclusion that the ground operation is necessary, we will do it. Let no terror organization feel we would cower from any operation," he said during a tour of towns hit by Hizbullah rocket fire. "We have no intention of conquering Lebanon, but if we will have to act in order to complete our tasks and reach a victory we will do it without thinking twice," Peretz said. Meantime Israel asked Germany on Thursday for help in diplomatic efforts to free two Israeli soldiers whose capture by Hezbollah militants was one of the triggers of an Israeli military onslaught in Lebanon. Israel insists on the freeing of the soldiers as one of the conditions for any halt to operations that have killed over 300 people. Hizbollah is seeking an exchange of prisoners that Israeli officials say they would not entertain. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told Germany's ZDF television: "German officials have previously played a constructive role in the freeing of hostages, in some case where soldiers were abducted. Now is the time when the same German officials could be active again." In Lebanon President Emile Lahoud urged the international community to work towards a ceasefire agreement as every day, civilian and Lebanese army massacres - this is not the way to resolve the crisis. Meanwhile, Premier Fouad Siniora accused Israel of committing massacres against Lebanese civilians and working to destroy everything that would allow Lebanon to stay alive. He added that the intensifying aggression in this barbaric way proves that Israel has decided to bring Lebanon back 50 years. In a meeting with the ambassadors of France, the US and Britain and asked them to express the anger of the Lebanese government to their countries. Meantime the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Thursday denied a report in the Milan-based daily "Corriere della Sera" that quoted him calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah. Siniora`s office said in a statement that his words were distorted in translation from Italian to English. "What the prime minister said is that the international community has not given the Lebanese government an opportunity to deal with the problem of Hezbollah`s arms, since the continuing presence of the Israeli occupation of Shebaa Farms is the reason for the weapons' location." The statement continued, "the international community needs to assist us in persuading Israel to withdraw from Shebaa so that we can deal with the problem of Hezbollah`s arms." In Cairo President Hosni Mubarak and the King of Bahrain held talks in Cairo on the latest regional developments with special focus on the current Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Palestinian territories. During their meeting, President Mubarak and King Hamad bin Eissa al-Khalifa discussed the means to stop Israeli aggression against the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples, the Middle East News Agency said. Following the talks at Cairo International Airport, King Khalifa issued a statement expressing his full appreciation to President Mubarak for serving Arab causes and standing firm in defending Arab rights. He said that his visit came at a critical time during which "our brothers in Lebanon and Palestine are under Israeli aggression", which necessitates unified Arab action to stop the violence and military escalation against "our people". The statement added that the King of Bahrain and President Mubarak reviewed all means to form a unified Arab stance on the present and future challenges, push forward the peace process and restore confidence in peacemaking. "The present development and the tough challenges we are facing today require the Arabs to draw a clear-cut strategy to preserve peace and stability, reach a comprehensive and permanent solution to the Palestinian cause to stop Israeli escalation in Palestine and Lebanon," the statement added. In Damascus the meeting between President Bashar al-Assad and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister , Alexander Sultanov , this morning focused on the Israeli aggressions on Lebanon and Palestine, and on the continuation of the Israeli escalation against the innocent civilians and infra-structures. During the meeting the international stances and the diplomatic efforts which have been exerted by Russia to put an end to the crisis and to reach a cease fire were reviewed. President al-Assad was briefed by Sultanov on the outcome of the G8 recent summit , and on Russia's position regarding the proposed issues. The necessity for the continuation of coordination and consultation between the two friendly countries was stressed during the meeting. Sultanov pledged on Thursday Russia will exert efforts to end the crisis in Lebanon saying, "Russia will exert efforts with her partners and the United Nations to stop these actions and put an end to blood shed of innocents,." Sultanov said in a statement. He expressed his country's concern regarding the ongoing developments in Lebanon, describing talks with the Syrian officials as "positive". Israel's military operation against Lebanon risks turning into an invasion comparable to that of 1982, a former Russian prime minister and Middle East expert Yevgeny Primakov said. 'This is a real war. Israel has exceeded the framework of a counter-terrorism operation in hitting power stations, roads and bridges,' Primakov said at a Moscow news conference. 'Today Israel has begun a ground operation exactly like in 1982, having insisted that it wouldn't do so,' he said. 'Where will Israel stop this time? Last time their troops went as far as the capital,' he said. Primakov pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's lack of close ties to the military, warning that 'the logic of events risks being dictated by the latter'. Russia has urged a political and diplomatic route to resolving the current crisis, notably during the G8 summit held in Saint Petersburg last weekend. The European Parliament voiced Thursday 'extreme alarm' at the military escalation and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and called for an immediate ceasefire. The leaders of the Political Groups of the European Parliament and EP President Josep Borrell issued a statement after a meeting in Brussels calling for an immediate cease-fire in the region and expressed their support for sending an international stabilization force under the supervision of the United Nations and with the participation of the European Union. They called for the immediate opening of negotiations under the aegis of the United Nations, on the basis of the resolutions of the Security Council with the participation of the authorities of all the countries in the region. They expressed their deep concern at the worsening situation in Occupied Palestinian Territories and called on the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) to play an active role in helping to bring about the de-escalation of the violence and a resolution to the crises. They called on the European Commission to release the maximum amount of funds for humanitarian aid for the victims of the conflict in the whole region as well as the refugees in Cyprus. "I am very happy with this resolution taken by the European Parliament. In some respects it is quite different from the one taken by the European Council and different from some members of the EU," Borrell told reporters. The Council in its statement issued on Monday did not call for a ceasefire but urged Israel not to use disproportionate action. Meantime Vice Premier Shimon Peres said that Israel does not want to involve Syria or Iran in its current conflict with Lebanon. "We will leave Iran to the world community, and Syria as well," Peres told Army Radio. "It's very important to understand that we are not instilling world order." Israel is not planning to attack Iran or Syria, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said, noting that the Jewish state already had its "hands full" with Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. It is up to the international community to tackle Tehran, Peres also told BBC television in an interview broadcast last Tuesday. Asked whether his country would hit Syria or Iran, he said: "No, I don't think they will attack us... and we shall not attack them because I think Iran is a world problem." He continued: "It is not for us to deal with. We don't want to convert it into an Iranian-Israeli conflict. We have our hands full anyway." Israel has accused Iran and Syria of arming Hezbollah and Hamas militants with the guns and bullets that are aimed at the Jewish state. "The missiles, the rockets. All of them are coming either from Iran or Syria," Peres said. He defended his government's decision to strike Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. "We would not attack Lebanon either, we wouldn't attack even Hezbollah, we wouldn't attack even Hamas if they wouldn't attack us and they wouldn't provoke," he said. "It is not our choice it is our lack of alternative that brought us to this confrontation." Peres was speaking as the crisis in Lebanon entered its second week, with Israel's bombardment showing no sign of letting up. In addition, Israel has been operating inside the Gaza Strip for three weeks since June 28, when troops rolled back into the territory in a bid to retrieve a soldier abducted by militants and halt rocket attacks. Officials of the Arab League met for the second time this week to address the violence between Israel and Hezbollah. Two more countries - Lebanon and Djibouti - voted in favor of an emergency Arab Summit, which now has the support of seven countries of the 22-member league. Secretary-General Amr Moussa said if the proposal received a two-thirds majority vote, the League would proceed with a summit. Though the members have yet to reach agreement to hold a summit, Mr. Moussa said there is agreement that Israel's demands for the removal of Hezbollah from along Lebanon's border with Israel are unacceptable. "Of course, we reject these conditions," Moussa said. "These are not even conditions. They are orders that are being dictated. We need to start with a common ground in order to solve the crisis. He said, we have to consider the interests of all parties involved, not just Israel's. We must consider the interests of Palestinian detainees. We need a package deal that suits everyone, not just one side."