40yearfan

U.S., France agree to Mideast resolution
Deal calls for 'full cessation of hostilities' between Israel, Hezbollah

David Karp / AP
John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, announced Saturday that the U.S. and France had reached an agreement Saturday on a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at ending the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Updated: 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
UNITED NATIONS - The United States and France agreed Saturday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for a “full cessation” of fighting between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, but would allow Israel to defend itself if attacked.

The draft, obtained by The Associated Press, “calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations.”

That language would be a major victory for Israel, which has insisted it must have the right to respond if Hezbollah launches missiles against it. France and many other nations had demanded an immediate halt to violence without conditions as a way to push the region back toward stability.


U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and French President Jacques Chirac’s office confirmed that agreement had been reached. The full 15-nation Security Council was to meet later Saturday to discuss the resolution, and it was likely to be adopted in the next couple of days, Bolton said.

“We’re prepared to continue to work tomorrow in order to make progress on the adoption of the resolution but we have reached agreement and we’re now ready to proceed,” Bolton said. “We’re prepared to move as quickly as other members of the council want to move.”

Rules on weapon purchases
The resolution asks that Israel and Lebanon agree to a set of principles to achieve a long-term peace. One crucial element is an arms embargo that would block any entity except the Lebanese government from buying weapons.


That is presumably meant to block the sale of arms to Hezbollah from Iran and Syria, believed to be the militia’s main suppliers.

Other principles spelled out in the resolution include the disarmament of Hezbollah; the creation of a buffer zone from the U.N.-demarcated border between Israel and Lebanon north to the Litani River; and the delineation of Lebanon’s borders, especially in the disputed Chebaa Farms area.



The resolution would call for the current U.N. force in Lebanon, known by its acronym UNIFIL, to monitor the cessation in fighting. Once Israel and Lebanon have agreed to the series of principles, the Security Council would then authorize a new peacekeeping force for the region.

That force would “support the Lebanese armed forces and government in providing a secure environment and contribute to the implementation of a permanent cease-fire and a long-term solution.”

That element was a victory for France. The U.S. and Israel had earlier insisted that there would be no deal without the immediate deployment of a new force, separate from UNIFIL.

Condoleezza Rice to vote
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was at President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, but will head back for a vote.

“She will be prepared to go to New York,” U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Since fighting began, the U.N. Security Council has failed to take any action to stop it, primarily because of opposition from the United States, Israel’s closest ally.

Any deal will have to gain the acceptance of both Israel and Hezbollah, which could prove difficult.

Israel says it wants to continue fighting for up to two weeks to seriously diminish Hezbollah’s military capability; Hezbollah’s chief spokesman said Thursday the militia will not agree to a cease-fire until all Israeli troops leave Lebanon.

CardinalMike

Accepted international law already gives them that right. It even gives them the right to retaliate against any state from which attacks originate regardless of whether the attacking organization is associated with the state or not.

This is the pretext we used for military action against the Taliban in Afghanistan. It's also one of the reasons the US government tried to draw correlations between Iraq and 9/11.

Cardinal Mike!!

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LoyaltyisaCurse

everything you say here is exactly the problem

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Goin' "Double Maverick!"

SirStefan32

So, we or the Israelis should not have the right to defend ourselves according to you LIAC?

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Donald

Those are not problems.

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LoyaltyisaCurse

We'll I have a problem with attacking a whole country because a group not affiliated with the country's government launched an attack.

Go in and set up some kind of op with that government would be acceptable to me to find and puruge them, but launching a full out attack on the country and killing hundreds to thousands of civilians in the process is not acceptable.

If the group is not funded, supported, or given direction by the country it hardly excuses launching an all out offensive on said country.

I also had a problem with that tactic being used to tie 9/11 with Iraq, for we all know that was a lie and a lousy, ridiculous justifcation that has resulted in nothing but more strife...

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Goin' "Double Maverick!"

LoyaltyisaCurse

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Goin' "Double Maverick!"

ajcardfan

Undoubtedly, and unfortunately, Hezbollah is part of Lebanon's government.

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Djaughe

PortlandCardFan

So Afghanistan was a no no in your book. I thought you were okay with blowing the crap out of that country?

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GreenCard

I wish we had used the shock and awe in Afgan-leveled the place,caught Ben and got the hell out.We would still be able to scare the crap out of these guys that are now giving us the finger.