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Annan condemns Israel attack in Lebanon
UN Secretary General says I condemn without reservations the attack in southern Lebanon; Iran nuclear negotiator: When the Zionist entity attacks and slaughters the Palestinian people ... Resistance is necessary
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called Wednesday for the immediate release of kidnapped Israeli soldiers and condemned Israels immediate retaliation.
I condemn without reservations the attack in southern Lebanon, and demand that Israeli troops be released immediately, Annan said after a meeting in Rome with
Annan spoke hours after Hizbullah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, triggering an Israeli assault with warplanes, tanks and gunboats against southern Lebanon as Israeli troops crossed the frontier to hunt for the captives.
'Occupation is what provokes Palestinian, Lebanese people'
We would not want to see an expansion, an escalation of conflict in the region, Annan said. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the Hizbullah raid an act of war and held the Lebanese government responsible, vowing that the Israeli response will be restrained, but very, very, very painful.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora phoned Annan and asked that he prevent Israeli aggression against Lebanon following the kidnappings.
Siniora also called on the international community to assist the casualties of the Israeli bombings.
Syria said Israel was responsible for the operation by its ally Hizbullah.
"Occupation is what provokes the Palestinian and Lebanese people," Vice President Farouq al-Shara told reporters.
'I urge that any Israeli action be both measured, proportionate'
Al-Sharaa made the comments at a press conference with Ali Larijani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, whose country is also a top backer of Hamas and Hizbullah.
"When the Zionist entity attacks and slaughters the Palestinian people ... Resistance is necessary," Larijani said.
Geir Pedersen, the UN representative in Lebanon, asked Hizbullah to release the two IDF soldiers immediately, as did the EU and US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch.
UK Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells said, We condemn this mornings infiltration and rocket attacks by Hizbullah on northern Israel.
We are particularly concerned by reports that Israeli soldiers may have been kidnapped or killed.
Hizbullahs actions will further escalate an already tense situation in the region. A further escalation is in no ones interest. We call on all parties to take actions to promote a rapid and peaceful resolution of the crisis and urge that any Israeli action be both measured and proportionate, he said.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he understood Israel's "fury" at a deadly cross-border raid by Hizbullah, but urged Israel to consider the future of regional peace in its response.
srael to UN: Lebanon declared war
Ambassador to UN Danny Gillerman sends sharp letter to UN blaming Hizbullah attack on Lebanese government, who failed to secure border and disarm the terror group as demanded in UN charter. Rice: Israel has right to defend itself
Yitzhak Benhorin
WASHINGTON - Israel filed a severe complaint to the United Nation Wednesday, which declared Hizbullah's attack on Israel and kidnapping of two IDF soldiers was an act of war. Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Gillerman, charged during a press conference that Lebanon has no less than declared war on Israel. With that, Israel has not requested the UN Security Council convene on the issue. Gillerman made the comments shortly after UN Secretary General Kofi Annancriticized Israels reprisal activities and demanded the kidnapped soldiers be released.
(VIDEO) Three troops killed during Hizbullah abduction of two soldiers in north; four others killed as tank drives over roadside bomb during search for kidnappers. Forces still attempting to return soldiers
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In a letter to the UN secretary general and the current president of the Security Council Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, Gillerman wrote that the attack was a belligerent act from the sovereign territory of the Lebanese government, an act violating all UN and Security Council decisions.
Israelplaced responsibility for the attack on the Lebanese government, from whose territory the attack emanated. The Lebanese government failed to disarm terror organizations acting against Israel, Gillerman wrote, and since this was a belligerent act Israel reserves the right and duty to respond according to the UN charter, he added.
Lebanon violated UN charter
Gillerman called a press conference, in which he declared that Today, war was declared on Israel from the northern border, a declaration of war by Lebanon on the State of Israel, he explained. He added that Israel blamed Lebanon for the incident, as the attack was carried out from its sovereign territory.
The UN established that Israel had completely withdrawn from Lebanon, Gillerman pointed out, and ruled that the Lebanese government must exercise its sovereignty and deploy its army along the Israel border to deterHizbullah . The UN charter also demanded Hizbullah be disarmed. The Lebanese government ignored the UN decisions, and what you see here today is the result, Gillerman charged. He added that Israel would act in any way possible to defend its borders and return the kidnapped soldiers.
The UN ambassador maintained that Israel categorically refused to negotiate with terror organizations, and Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah was recognized as a terrorist whose hands were stained with Israeli blood. Damascus is the official capital of terrorism, he added, as it gives refuge to ten of the worst terror organizations.
Immediately at the start of Israel incursion into Gaza, a group of Arab countries appealed to the UN to assemble the Security Council to discuss what they termed Israeli aggression. But the nations of Europe refuse to address the extremist wording of the Arab requests, and did not even bother to respond. At the moment, Israel had no plans to call for a Security Council assembly to discuss Israels operation in Lebanon.
US: Lebanon responsible
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora from Paris and pressed him to act for the release of the kidnapped Israeli prisoners. The US supported Israels stance, and the White House was preparing to release a statement which will fully lay responsibility on the Lebanese government and Hizbullah. According to the statement, the US supports Israels right to defend itself.
Washington was trying to unite a front among the industrialized nations, the G8, to demand the Israeli soldiers release and call for an immediate halt of terror activities by Hizbullah and Hamas. US Congress was also preparing response statements condemning Hizbullah and laying blame on Lebanon. The agreement in Washington was that Iran most benefits from the situation, which plays into its hands and distracts international attention from their nuclear pursuits. The Syrians, after their humiliation in Lebanon, were also trying to prove that without them, things are more difficult.
Kathianne said:And some wonder why the UN is considered passe?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3274607,00.html
But Israel is clear, in a way the US can only dream of:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3274663,00.html
GunnyL said:Guess Israel doesn't give a damn what Kofi has to say.
Bonnie said:Maybe Kofi needs to spend some quality time in an Israeli bomb shelter..
jillian said:Funny.... I don't recall Kofi condemning Lebanon for sending a missile into Haifa or the Palestinians for kidnapping Israeli soldiers.
Imagine that... shocking. Guess Israel is giving Kofi the
dilloduck said:Why does the US always catch hell when Israel tells Kofi to kiss off?
jillian said:How is the US catching hell?
