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Lebanon to Condoleezza Rice: Don't Come
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called off a trip to Lebanon after Israel bombed a village there on Sunday, but she stopped short of urging an immediate ceasefire to help end the war.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said he did not want her to come to his country, saying that after the air strike, he could not hold any talks on resolving the crisis before an immediate ceasefire.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said he did not want her to come to his country, saying that after the air strike, he could not hold any talks on resolving the crisis before an immediate ceasefire.
Set to return to Washington on Monday, Rice's renewed push to end fighting between Israel and Hizbollah was derailed by the bombing which killed 54 people sheltering in a basement, 37 of them children.
"In the wake of the tragedy that the people and the government of Lebanon are dealing with today, I have decided to postpone my discussions in Beirut. In any case, my work is here (in Israel) today," Rice told reporters of the canceled Beirut trip.
Rice insisted she had canceled the Lebanon trip and not the other way around.
More
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/30/AR2006073000126.html
Rice to Peretz: No pressure
US Secretary of State returns to Israel, meets with foreign minister, defense minister; fails to pressure Israel to end fighting. Defense Ministry officials estimate war expected to end within 10 days
Aviram Zino
More
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3283440,00.html
Stymied in Mideast, Rice to Head Home
Stymied in her diplomatic mission and rocked by an Israeli bombing gone awry, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice consulted Israelis in a tense atmosphere Sunday and planned to head home Monday, a U.S. official said Sunday.
Rice had hoped to leave the region after concrete progress on ending the fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon. But her work was hampered severely by Israel's missile strike early Sunday that killed more than 50 people, including many children.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the diplomatic situation, said Rice would work from Washington to complete a U.N. Security Council resolution to end the crisis.
A draft resolution circulating Saturday among council members would call for an immediate halt to fighting and seek a wide new buffer zone in south Lebanon monitored by international forces and the Lebanese army.
Israel's attack, which killed scores of civilians while they sleep, led Rice to canceled an expected visit to Beirut for a meeting Sunday with Lebanese Prime Minister Faud Saniora. Rice said she called Saniora to postpone; angry Lebanese officials said it was their government that called off the meeting.
The chief U.S. diplomat told reporters after the attack that she planned to stay in Jerusalem, where she said she had work to do to end the fighting.
The U.S. official said Rice planned an evening meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and that she had been talking with President Bush, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other world leaders.
More
http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/07/30/ap2913864.html
Rice said she had not yet spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whom she had dinner with Saturday night, but planned to reach him after an Israeli Cabinet meeting.
She has spoken by phone to Saniora to express the condolences of the U.S. government and its citizens.
"In the wake of the tragedy that the people and the government of Lebanon are dealing with today, I have decided to postpone my discussion in Beirut," Rice said. "In any case, my work today is here."
She said she will continue to meet with Israeli officials to agree on the elements of an agreement that will allow the U.N. Security Council to take action toward a resolution.
"We are making real progress on the political framework and believe the parties are coming together," she said.
More
http://wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51111
"In the wake of the tragedy that the people and the government of Lebanon are dealing with today, I have decided to postpone my discussions in Beirut. In any case, my work is here (in Israel) today," Rice told reporters of the canceled Beirut trip.
Rice insisted she had canceled the Lebanon trip and not the other way around.
More
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/30/AR2006073000126.html
Rice to Peretz: No pressure
US Secretary of State returns to Israel, meets with foreign minister, defense minister; fails to pressure Israel to end fighting. Defense Ministry officials estimate war expected to end within 10 days
Aviram Zino
More
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3283440,00.html
Stymied in Mideast, Rice to Head Home
Stymied in her diplomatic mission and rocked by an Israeli bombing gone awry, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice consulted Israelis in a tense atmosphere Sunday and planned to head home Monday, a U.S. official said Sunday.
Rice had hoped to leave the region after concrete progress on ending the fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon. But her work was hampered severely by Israel's missile strike early Sunday that killed more than 50 people, including many children.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the diplomatic situation, said Rice would work from Washington to complete a U.N. Security Council resolution to end the crisis.
A draft resolution circulating Saturday among council members would call for an immediate halt to fighting and seek a wide new buffer zone in south Lebanon monitored by international forces and the Lebanese army.
Israel's attack, which killed scores of civilians while they sleep, led Rice to canceled an expected visit to Beirut for a meeting Sunday with Lebanese Prime Minister Faud Saniora. Rice said she called Saniora to postpone; angry Lebanese officials said it was their government that called off the meeting.
The chief U.S. diplomat told reporters after the attack that she planned to stay in Jerusalem, where she said she had work to do to end the fighting.
The U.S. official said Rice planned an evening meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and that she had been talking with President Bush, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other world leaders.
More
http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/07/30/ap2913864.html
Rice said she had not yet spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whom she had dinner with Saturday night, but planned to reach him after an Israeli Cabinet meeting.
She has spoken by phone to Saniora to express the condolences of the U.S. government and its citizens.
"In the wake of the tragedy that the people and the government of Lebanon are dealing with today, I have decided to postpone my discussion in Beirut," Rice said. "In any case, my work today is here."
She said she will continue to meet with Israeli officials to agree on the elements of an agreement that will allow the U.N. Security Council to take action toward a resolution.
"We are making real progress on the political framework and believe the parties are coming together," she said.
More
http://wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51111
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Below is a selection of quotes on the latest incident.
LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER FOUAD SINIORA
Out of respect for the souls of our innocent martyrs and the remains of our children buried under the rubble of Qana, we scream out to our fellow Lebanese and to other Arab brothers and to the whole world to stand united in the face of the Israeli war criminals.
The persistence of Israel in its heinous crimes against our civilians will not break the will of the Lebanese people. There is no place on this sad morning for any discussion other than an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as well as the international investigation into the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now.
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EHUD OLMERT
All the residents were warned and called upon to leave. There are hiding places for rockets inside the village and the village itself is a safe haven for those who launch rockets. We have no policy to target innocent civilians.
I think it needs to be clear that Israel is in no rush to reach a ceasefire before we get to a point where we could say that we have achieved the main objectives we had set forth.
This requires a ripening of the diplomatic process and a specific agreement regarding the formation of the force that will operate from the areas from which Israel was threatened in this period.
US SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE
I think we all recognise that this kind of warfare is extremely difficult, because it is in fact warfare within... territory in which civilians are residing. It's extremely difficult. And it unfortunately has awful consequences sometimes - and these are awful consequences.
I spoke to Prime Minister Siniora and what he said to me was that he was feeling ... very emotional about what had happened to his people.
I fully understand that but I want you to understand something too.
I called him and told him I was not coming today because I felt very strongly my work towards a ceasefire is really here today.
FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC
France condemns this unjustified action which demonstrates more than ever the need for an immediate ceasefire without which there will only be other such incidents.
BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY MARGARET BECKETT
It's absolutely dreadful, it's quite appalling. Undoubtedly today's events will make things worse at least in the short term.
We have repeatedly urged Israel to act proportionately.
EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA
I have talked to the prime minister of Lebanon... I have expressed to him my profound dismay and deep sorrow at the attack and the death of innocent civilians in Qana. Nothing can justify that.
I have transmitted to him that the European Union is continuously working to reach an immediate ceasefire.
SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER JAN ELIASSON
It is time to end this madness. The UN Security Council must accept its responsibility and immediately adopt a resolution to bring an end to hostilities.
POPE BENEDICT XVI
In the name of God, I call on all those responsible for this spiral of violence so that weapons are immediately laid down on all sides.
ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY GENERAL AMR MOUSSA
The attacks that Israeli forces are launching targeting civilians and the Lebanese infrastructure are another confirmation of Israeli aggressive intentions.
EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK
The Arab Republic of Egypt expresses its profound alarm and its condemnation of the irresponsible Israeli bombing of the Lebanese village of Qana, which resulted in innocent casualties, mostly women and children.
JORDAN'S KING ABDULLAH
This criminal aggression is an ugly crime that has been committed by the Israeli forces in the city of Qana that is a gross violation of all international statutes.
SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD
The massacre committed by Israel in Qana this morning shows the barbarity of this aggressive entity. It constitutes state terrorism committed in front of the eyes and ears of the world.
IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN HAMID REZA ASEFI
The Qana bombing is the outcome of [US Secretary State Condoleezza] Rice's trip to the region. Some American officials should be put on trial for the crimes in Lebanon.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5228422.stm