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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Arab foreign ministers appeal for Lebanon ceasefire |
| 2008-05-12 |
| Arab foreign ministers, holding an emergency session on Sunday, appealed for an immediate ceasefire between Lebanon's political rivals to end the country's worst civil strife since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. Forty-six people have been killed and 128 wounded in the fighting when Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah briefly seized control of Beirut after the pro-Western government's decision to target its military communications network. Tensions eased in Beirut on Sunday after Hezbollah fighters pulled back from areas they had seized in the western half of the capital. But violence later erupted in mountains east of Beirut between Hezbollah fighters and supporters of the pro-government Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. "The council (of Arab foreign ministers) appeals for an immediate halt of bombings and shooting, and the withdrawal of gunmen ... and the enabling of the army to deploy in those areas," the Arab League said in a statement read by Deputy Secretary-General Ahmed Bin Hilli. Lebanon has been in political deadlock for 18 months over opposition demands for a greater say in government. The foreign ministers are also expected to call for an immediate deal on forming a Lebanese national unity government and the election of army chief General Michel Suleiman as president, according to an Arab League official. The ministers, meeting in closed session, would also call for a team of "politicians, intellectuals and neutral parties" to work on drafting a new electoral law after the election of Suleiman, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem, whose country is a main ally of Hezbollah, was not present at the meeting. Syria's delegation was chaired by its ambassador to the Arab League. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Morons. If the Lebanese government agrees to a ceasefire, they might as well hang signs reading "castrato" around their necks. If Egypt and Saudi Arabia had any balls, they'd be clamoring to send "peacekeepers" to Beirut. Of course, there's always the nasty suspicion that all the Egyptians and Saudis with balls are rotting in shallow graves in Afghanistan and Iraq, killed by Americans or Russians or whatever. After all, those countries' armed forces are tax-farming operations, not warfighting outfits. Kind of like the Lebanese Army, and ain't that a horrible thought? |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2008-05-12 16:50 |