Bush welcomes UN Mideast resolution - Repost

Reuters News Agency ^ | August 12, 2006 | Reuters

[ImpBill]

Sat Aug 12, 9:55 AM ET

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) -

President Bush welcomed a U.N. resolution on Saturday aimed at stopping the fighting between Israel and Hizbollah, saying the guerrilla group and its sponsors Iran and Syria had brought an "unwanted" war to the region.

The fighting continued on Saturday, with the Israeli army saying it had started broadening its ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday calling for a "cessation of hostilities" in the war between Israel and Lebanon's Hizbollah militia that has killed about 1,000 Lebanese and 123 Israelis and displaced more than 1 million people.

In his statement, Bush again blamed Hizbollah for sparking the violence last month through an "unprovoked terrorist attack" on Israel.

The resolution, negotiated by the United States and France, envisions a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon when violence subsides and 15,000 Lebanese army troops along with the U.N. peacekeepers begin to deploy.

"These steps are designed to stop Hizbollah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda," Bush said in a statement from Crawford, Texas.

"This in turn will help to restore the sovereignty of Lebanon's democratic government and help ensure security for the people of Lebanon and Israel," he said.

"Hizbollah and its Iranian and Syrian sponsors have brought an unwanted war to the people of Lebanon and Israel, and millions have suffered as a result," Bush said.

"I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region."

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that in the coming days he would "establish with both parties the exact date and time" for the truce to come into force.

The resolution calls for an embargo on the supply of arms to militias in Lebanon.

[sinkspur]

Sorry, but whatever has gone on behind the scenes, we have been a party to the public humiliation of Israel.

Ohlmert was begging for a ceasefire. He was getting his ass kicked, and will likely be run out of town by the end of the month.

Israel has humiliated itself with its indecisiveness.

[La Enchiladita]

I do not deny the ineptitude of Olmert, which now could have ever more far-reaching consequences. It was truly not clear to me who was leading this U.S./Israel dance. Read on, but first, I have a quibble with this administration's policies re Israel vis a vis the "Road Map to Peace" and concessions wrested from Israel.

Okay, back to the UN Resolution, see this commentary by Caroline Glick, if you have not already.

Comment: An unmitigated disaster

The UN resolution does not strengthen the US hand in future Security Council deliberations regarding Iran's illicit nuclear weapons program because the states that object to any action against Iran - Russia and China - will continue with their refusal to sign on to any substantive action.

Indeed, Russia's behavior regarding the situation in Lebanon, including the fact that a large percentage of Hizbullah's arsenal of advanced anti-tank missiles was sold by Russia to Syria and Iran, exposes that Moscow's role in the current conflict has been similar to the position taken by the Soviet Union in earlier Middle East wars.

Furthermore, because the resolution strengthens the UN as the arbiter of peace and security in the region, the diplomatic price the US will be forced to pay if it decides to go outside the UN to contend with the Iranian threat has been vastly increased.

[sinkspur]

Furthermore, because the resolution strengthens the UN as the arbiter of peace and security in the region, the diplomatic price the US will be forced to pay if it decides to go outside the UN to contend with the Iranian threat has been vastly increased.

Bush has never cared about "diplomatic price". Glick has been singularly gloomy in all her predictions, and she has never been either a Sharon or Ohlmert fan.

So, I read her commentaries in that context.

The US will act in its own best interests regardless of what Russia and China think. That is the truth of the matter.

[La Enchiladita]

I think Israel, on the whole, is more "European" than we expect and they put importance on the opinion of the "world community" that we do not. This squishiness has led to the placement of Kadima rather than Likud into power. Presently, I am going to take the bickering and opinion going on within Israel with a grain or two of salt.

[Grandma2]

Have you been to your health department lately ? I hear most fems and libs who go for this kind of filth have STDs . Back off kiddo ,my bones and bowels are probably in better shape than yours .