BELGIUM: European Parliament calls for immediate ceasefire in Lebanon

The president of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, said in Brussels on Thursday (July 20) leaders of all parties had called for the freeing up of the "maximum" amount of humanitarian aid for Lebanon. "All political groups agree that we are faced with a humanitarian crisis provoked by a military reaction. We must return immediately to international laws, there must be an immediate ceasefire, a United Nations force on the ground, the release of prisoners and the opening of negotiations," Borell said. He said the leaders of the political groups had called for negotiations under a U.N. framework and for a U.N. force with strong EU participation. They also called on EU states to speak with "a single voice" on the Middle East situation, he said. The leader of the Parliament's Liberal Democrats, Graham Watson, criticised the Commission and the Council of member states for failing to send representatives to the parliamentary meeting and urged the EU to act. " I very much regret that the Council of the European Union has not called for an immediate ceasefire. I hope they will make a further statement in view of developments since they met on the seventeenth of July. I regret that they do not see fit to send anybody to our meeting today, once again it is the European Parliament that express the outrage felt by people right across the European Union about what is going on," Watson said. The European Commission spokesman Amadeus Altafaj, also called for a return to international law and that the EU has pledged 10 million euros to help Lebanon's civilians and that the aid would be increased if necessary. Once formally approved it could arrive in 48 to 72 hours, and would be given to United Nations and non-governmental organisations. European Commssion Jose Manuel Barroso said the aid was to express EU "solidarity with the civilians who are suffering from this terrible conflict". The fighting has killed at least 306 people in Lebanon and 29 in Israel.

ITN Source | July 21, 2006

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