Rome conference calls for ceasefire and international force in Lebanon
Rome (AsiaNews) There is the "utmost urgency" to reach a ceasefire to open the way for a humanitarian intervention and the deployment of an international force that would help Lebanon in its reconstruction and in fully exercising effective control over its entire territory (thus addressing the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament). In a nutshell these are the key points agreed upon by all the participants to the International Conference for Lebanon held today in Rome and released to the press in a joint statement by the meeting's Italian and US chairpersons.
For his part, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asked the "conference to urge the Security Council to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities". Lebanon, he said, should be given time and space "to extend its authority [. . .] throughout the country". And "for solutions to last, it will also require the constructive engagement of the countries of the region, including Syria and Iran."
European Union foreign ministers announced that a special meeting for next Tuesday, August 1, to discuss the Lebanon crisis.
The Organisation of the Islamic Council announced that it would meet next week to discuss the crisis in Lebanon and called for an immediate ceasefire.
In the conference's final statement the participants expressed the "international community's deep concern about the situation in Lebanon and the violence in the Middle East" as well as their "determination to work immediately to reach with the utmost urgency a cease-fire", which, in their view, "must be lasting, permanent and sustainable".
The participants also agreed that an "International Force in Lebanon should urgently be authorized under a UN mandate" and discussed "concrete steps that would allow [. . .] Lebanon to exercise effective control over all of its territory."
They also agreed that an international conference of donor countries who want to help Lebanon should be organised. So far the country has suffered damages estimated at US$ 2 billion.
For Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, "some progress has been made" but "much remains to be done".
It is now up to the UN Security Council to ask for an immediate ceasefire as a first necessary step towards urgent humanitarian actions and the deployment of an international force. This would not only enable Lebanon to fully control its territory but would also start a true peace process, something that necessarily involves Syria and Iran.
US Secretary Rice has implicitly accepted this after Kofi Annan said Hezbollah's backers had to be engaged. Ms Rice said: "we are deeply concerned about the role of Iran" in Lebanon, but "Syria also needed to do its part". She added that Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria itself had a role to play in convincing Iran not to use extremist forces.
"There is much work to do and everyone has a role to play", she said, in the region where "[w]e cannot [. . .] return to the status quo ante".
Meanwhile Beirut airport saw a Jordanian C-130 transport plane arrive with humanitarian aid, whilst in Tehran, "students" are said to be getting ready to leave to bring help to Hezbollah.
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