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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Israel Prepares for 'Epic Battle' in U.N. Security Council
2006-08-09
UNITED NATIONS — Israel is preparing for an "epic battle" during Tuesday's meeting of the United Nations Security Council where diplomats will discuss the best possible solution for a cease-fire, sources tell FOX News. Syria, Iran and Hezbollah are pushing to take Lebanon's offer to deploy 15,000 forces into the embattled southern region along with UNIFIL forces to gain stability without an international force there after more than three weeks of intense fighting.

The diplomatic efforts came as thirteen Lebanese fell victim to Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon as Israel announced it was planning to push further into Lebanon Military to target rocket sites.

The United States State Department said Lebanon's proposal was "an important proposal," but one Bush administration official told FOX News that the United States is drawing a "line in the sand," saying that an international force has to deployed alongside the Lebanese forces. The United States and France wrangled Tuesday over ways to allay Lebanon's fears that Israel would win too much from a draft U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution, as three Arab foreign ministers argued for changes to the text. In a private meeting, the Americans and French considered two tentative proposals they hoped would both accommodate Lebanon's demands and revive diplomatic efforts to end the Israel-Hezbollah fighting.

Both nations agree on one proposal: that the resolution should support Lebanon's offer Monday to deploy 15,000 troops to monitor a buffer zone in the south, once under de facto Hezbollah control and now partly occupied by Israeli troops, diplomats said. The other proposal, still in the early stages, was to deploy some sort of international force to Chebaa Farms, an area along the Lebanese and Syrian borders occupied by Israeli troops, diplomats said. Lebanon had made that demand previously and was upset when the original draft resolution did not reflect it.

The discussions were held ahead of a Security Council meeting set for later Tuesday in which a delegation of three top Arab officials were to spell out their objections to the U.S.-French draft resolution. After that, the delegation planned to meet privately with U.S. and French diplomats to discuss concrete changes to the draft. On Monday, Arab ministers agreed to send a delegation consisting of the foreign ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa to plead Lebanon's case.

Washington and Paris had been expected to circulate a new draft of the resolution Monday but decided to wait to hear from the Arab delegation. The council planned to hold closed consultations after hearing from the delegation, and could introduce a new draft late in the day or on Wednesday. Because of Security Council rules, 24 hours must pass before a resolution can be voted on. That means any vote probably won't occur until Thursday at the earliest.
Posted by:Fred

#25  UN:
We condemn Israel for accidently causing civilian casualties.

We do not condemn Hizbollah-Iran for deliberately causing civilian casualties.

We condemn ourselves to oblivion.
Posted by: Snease Shaiting3550   2006-08-09 23:39  

#24  To #15 Jules in the Hinterland :

French are not fighting for the same principles as the US

French only want a restoration of reputation and the "Jewish problem" to disappear

It's not the French people, but the French government and the French media that are acting as you say.

I would say that, according a lot of surveys on the US, the War on Terror, the death of Arafat, and so on, that I have seen, that around 60% of the French people are anti-American. That's very bad, but that means, too, that at least 20 to 30% are NOT anti-American (I count the undecided out).
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-09 22:32  

#23  Exactly, Zen. How does one fight without ammunition?
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2006-08-09 16:28  

#22  Israel Prepares for 'Epic Battle' in U.N. Security Council

This will be "epic" only in the sense that a battle of wits with an unarmed person can be "epic."
Posted by: Zenster   2006-08-09 15:08  

#21  EoZ, I wouldn't be bothered by having Paris nuked. In fact, I might enjoy it, knowing working and middle class has left it, and that only green bobos and parisian elitists remain, with a few "ethnic" hoods.

BUT, I'll bet that my IP logistical HQ is located there, and anyway, it would really screw up telecoms and all.

So, for the sake of my PrÖn habit, please, don't.
Posted by: anonymous5089   2006-08-09 14:18  

#20  Look, the Israelis should do exactly what the Lebanese-Syrians-Iranians do with UNSC resolutions....ignore them.
Posted by: Captain America   2006-08-09 14:12  

#19  Trick question: what does a "hot air factory" produce?
Posted by: mojo   2006-08-09 14:07  

#18  Darth,
do you mean we shoild nuke France ??
maybe its not such a bad idea :)
They certainly are a hostile country.
Posted by: Elder of Zion   2006-08-09 11:26  

#17  I'm just amazed that I'm finding I not only agree with, but can understand, Joe M's rant.

JOE UN SEC. GEN. 2008
Posted by: BA   2006-08-09 10:01  

#16  Tip to Israel:

Bring nukes.

Throw at hostile countries.
Posted by: DarthVader   2006-08-09 09:53  

#15  Will we learn a lesson from tangoing with France again? And with Turkey, after what they pulled pre-Iraq Action #2? We keep pining for relationships that were ruined and over long ago.

It appears Israel and the US will be isolated-the only nations fighting for the principles of decency and moral clarity in the Security Council. I just hope Mr. Bolton finds a concise and devastating way to name how abominable the behavior coming out of SC is-I'm sure he will, he's the best. He should slide in a little public guilt slap to Europe for trying to finish what it started in WWII-the extermination of Jews.

Those who are working hard to find commonality with the French are not serving the interests of the US-the French only want a restoration of reputation and the "Jewish problem" to disappear so that their financial stream can proceed unimpeded. They are not fighting for the same principles as the US. We had better realize that.
Posted by: Jules in the Hinterlands   2006-08-09 09:20  

#14  A couple of weeks? I can foresee this lasting indefinitely. There is no reason for the UN or anybody else to get involved until this thing is settled the best way possible, with violence. One guy needs to get so beat up he gives up. And I ho0pe that's Hezb'Allah-Lebanon. But if Israel cries uncle first, they can't complain about the consequences either.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-08-09 08:14  

#13  Its a shame we're at a point in history where that cesspit of thieving, American, & Jew-hating despots at Turtle bay opinions are treated as if they are credible.
Posted by: JerseyMike   2006-08-09 08:07  

#12  Of course, I don't need to add that in France, John Bolton has been depicted as a far-right republican with almost-fascit-ties, and so on. In the US, the Democrats have said the same, but in France, all the medias (left, right, center, half-leftist-right, middle-rightist-left...) I have read or heard have vilified him.
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-09 04:59  

#11  Sop35/Rat, I agree, John Bolton is great too. I have read some of his UN speeches, they are really exciting. He is a strong American liberty fighter sent to the World Assembly of Dictatorships, also called United Nuts.
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-09 04:54  

#10  What epic battle? Either US will veto the Franco-Muslim revised version, or it will not. Reason, logic, justice, and common sense have no place in the UN.
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-08-09 04:41  

#9  I doubt there will be any diminishing of hostilities with amost couple of weeks. Perhaps the realities after a couple more weeks of Hezb'Allah will force a rehash of whatever crap manages to ooze its way into any resolution, or perhaps that is already starting to happen.
Posted by: gorb   2006-08-09 03:02  

#8  Be thankful that John Bolton represents US here. This full load of shit will go right to the apple cart.
Posted by: SOP35/Rat   2006-08-09 02:22  

#7  The most comforting is indeed that the US and G. W. Bush are firmly supporting Israel.

As always, Bush says clearly what he wants, and uphold his will. Its very rare in politics,and in France mostly uncommon.

Here, almost 99% of the people think that Bush is just 'another stupid cowboy' like Reagan. But nobody mentions that this 'stupid cowboy' won the Cold War, while the French self-proclamed bright intellectuals where trying hard to destroy the economy. And now, none of them would acknowledge that Bush is winning the War on Terror, because for those eggheads, there simply is no War on Terror...
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-09 01:30  

#6  Dubya has made it clear that the USA = his Admin will NOT accept any agreement where the terror groups share "State-within-a-State" power and authority wid the Lebanese govt - Israel is thus assured of a US veto in the UNSC where the pre-kidnap "status quo" is preserved, so also for any surreal "democratic/sovereign" Lebanese govt vv the terror groups. Lebanon must decide what it wants to be becuz any defeat, destruction, or withdrawal of Israel does NOT mean Lebanon = Syria = Jordan, etal. will be free from Radical Iran nor treated as equals by Radical Iran. MADMOUD + MULLAHS MAY BE MUSLIM BUT POST-ISRAEL [USA/WEST] ARE NOT THEIR FRIENDS-ALLIES.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-08-09 01:12  

#5  OK, tipper, thanks for the hint.

So, maybe those 'unconfirmed sources' are of the same kind as the one who said, after the US-French draft was released, that Lebanon was rejecting it, whereas it was dissatisfied with it.

Maybe France and the US are buying time for Israel ? That would be a good news, coming from Chirac's France...
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-09 00:53  

#4  I was happy to read the proposed draft on the Lebanon war, presented by the US and France, as it was not bad for Israel (although it did mention the Shebaa Farms, which are totally irrelevant to the present crisis, and whose fate shall not be discussed now, because that would be a reward for the Hezbollah and the Lebaneses), but I am now disgusted and infuriated to see that France has that fast returned to its usual cowardice and twisted ethics, and is once again siding with those disgusting arab dictatorships.

Tuesday, the German FM, Steinmeier, was in Beyrouth, and he was able to say the right thing: "Lebanon is not in a position to impose its conditions".

I hoped that maybe Chirac and the French authorities suddenly got a brain and backbone, but obviously this isnt the case.
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-09 00:45  

#3  leroidavid
Maybe not as reported.
"My goal is to incorporate in the text some ideas that have been proposed in recent days," France's U.N. ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere told reporters.

His spokesman firmly denied unconfirmed reports that France had broken with the United States and was calling for an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. The spokesman said U.S.-French negotiations were continuing.

No action is expected until Thursday at the earliest. The document has not yet been introduced to the 15-member council, which usually happens 24 hours before a vote.
Posted by: tipper   2006-08-09 00:32  

#2  Things are far worse than that.

Now, FoxNews is saying that "The French U.N. delegation has joined with Arab nations and is now calling for a complete and immediate Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as a condition of any cease-fire",

and that "In addition, the French have reportedly agreed with Arab demands that the Lebanese force be accompanied only by UNIFIL, with no international force to be deployed".
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-09 00:20  

#1  The Chebaa Farms proposal is a non-starter. Israel won't allow foreign troops on its territory.

This UNSC thing could drag on for weeks. Trust the Arabs to screw things up to their own detriment.
Posted by: phil_b   2006-08-09 00:14  

00:00