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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Rice Rejects Quick Fix in Mideast

2006-07-22

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected the ``false promise'' of an immediate cease-fire in the spreading war between Israel and Hezbollah on Friday and said she would seek long-term peace during a trip to the Mideast beginning Sunday.

The top U.S. diplomat defended her decision not to meet with Hezbollah leaders or their Syrian backers during her visit. ``Syria knows what it needs to do, and Hezbollah is the source of the problem,'' Rice said as she previewed her trip, which begins with a stop in Israel.

No, Iran is the source of the problem. But maybe she's just being diplomatic.

Rice said the United States is committed to ending the bloodshed, but not before certain conditions are met. The Bush administration has said that Hezbollah must first turn over the two Israeli soldiers whose capture set off the 10-day-old violence, and stop firing missiles into Israel. ``We do seek an end to the current violence, we seek it urgently. We also seek to address the root causes of that violence,'' Rice said. ``A cease-fire would be a false promise if it simply returns us to the status quo.''

There's a clever turn of phrase, the 'root causes' argument. Sling that one back at the Democrats.

Asked why she didn't go earlier and engage in quick-hit diplomacy to try to end the death and destruction that has gripped the region, she replied, ``I could have gotten on a plane and rushed over and started shuttling and it wouldn't have been clear what I was shuttling to do.''

Rice plans meetings in Jerusalem and the West Bank with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as sessions in Rome with representatives of European and moderate Arab governments that are meant to shore up the weak democratic government in Lebanon's capital Beirut.

Rice's trip resumes a role the United States has long played as the key Mideast peace broker, but Rice is not expected to try to get a signed deal during her brief visit. ``I know that there are no answers that are easy, nor are there any quick fixes,'' Rice said. ``I fully expect that the diplomatic work for peace will be difficult.''

Posted by:Steve White

#2 We also seek to address the root causes of that violence

Midnight basketball coming to Damascus & Tehran.

Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-22 08:32

#1 She made her position crystal clear. Israel has a green light. The US is 110% behind Ohmert. This is what she is going to tell everyone she meets. Apparently the media think something else is happening.

Posted by: john 2006-07-22 07:34

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