LEBANON: Lebanese PM Siniora calls on Israel to comply with resolution 1701 and withdraw its troops from Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora visited Sidon on Tuesday (August 22) to offer his condolences to South Lebanon and to the Grand Mufti of Sidon and who lost his wife to illness. Siniora said Israel should withdraw from South Lebanon as soon as possible. "I really don't find it strange that the Israelis continue to make skirmishes and attacks here and there. So this is similar to what they did a few days ago in the Bekaa area. So they are making the same thing in one way or another. I think the best thing for them is to comply with the resolution 1701, and to expedite the process of withdrawing as soon as possible," Siniora said, after meeting the Grand Mufti. The U.N.-backed truce was jolted by an Israeli commando raid in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Saturday (August 19), which the U.N. deemed a ceasefire violation. The New York-based body says it is also concerned by six Israeli violations of Lebanese air space in the past two days. A high-level delegation from Italy's foreign and defence ministries will travel to Beirut on Wednesday to look at the practicalities of sending a U.N. force, the Rome government said. Emphasising the international backing for Italy to lead the mission, Prime Minister Romano Prodi's office issued a statement saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed his support. The Lebanese government has said it backs Italy leading the force. "I am in constant contact with Mr. Prodi, and yesterday I talked to him, he was very happy with the resolution that was taken by the Lebanese Council of Ministers and they are going to really move as soon as possible, in coordination with the Secretary General. So, I mean... Regarding the leadership, I think this is definitely up to the Secretary General to deal with it," Siniora added. Italy plans to contribute 2,000 to 3,000 troops to the U.N peacekeeping force in Lebanon provided Israel does not violate the U.N.-brokered ceasefire, Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said on Tuesday. Dutch Foreign minister Bernard Bot met with Lebanese political leaders to discuss ways in which the Netherlands can help further stabilise the situation in the region. Following his meeting with Bot, Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Fawzi Salloukh said that Israel was continuing to violate U.N. resolution 1701. "Israel's continued attacks on Lebanese soil and against the Lebanese people are a clear violation of the resolution [1701]," Salloukh told a joint news conference following his meeting with Bot. Bot later held talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Bot, who had arrived in Beirut from Israel, said that he urged the Jewish State to abide by UN resolution 1701. "I urge Israel to comply with this resolution in all its elements, but I think, of course, as they say, it takes two to tango and it is very important that all sides comply with the dictate of this important resolution," said Bot. Bot confirmed that the Netherlands would not be sending ground troops to Lebanon but said that it would provide other assistance if needed. "I also have urged Israel, and as far as we are concerned immediately, to end the embargo on the sea and air traffic because I considered this as an impediment," said Bot. According to initial estimates by analysts, Israeli air strikes destroyed $3.5-$4.0 billion worth of the Lebanese infrastructure in the five week war and did as yet uncalculated damage to the economy by wiping out major contributors to the economy. Lebanon's air and sea ports were bombed during Israel's 34-day war with Hizbollah, the Lebanese guerrilla group. Funerals took place in Beirut's southern suburbs for five Hizbollah fighters killed in Israel's war with Lebanese Hizbollah guerillas. Hundreds of mourners took to the streets to join the funeral processions as they passed through areas littered with debris from the surrounding buildings which were destroyed during Hizbollah's conflict with Israel. Uniformed Hizbollah members, some with tears rolling down their cheeks, carried the coffins which were draped with the Lebanese guerilla group's yellow and green flags through the streets of the suburbs. A mother of one of the dead fighters shouted, "I am the hero's mother, I am the hero's mother," as she followed the funeral procession. As the coffins were brought into the cemeteries, family members broke down in tears over the coffins. In Beirut's southern suburbs construction efforts continued as residents of the city reacted to news of the shooting by of three armed men in south Lebanon the night before. Al Arabiya television had reported that the three Hizbollah fighters were killed in the clash and four Israeli soldiers were wounded. But Hizbollah denied any of its fighters had been killed and the Israeli army said none of its troops were wounded, adding that there had been no exchange of fire; shots were fired only by Israel. Nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon and 157 Israelis were killed during the war that erupted after Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

ITN Source | August 23, 2006

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