Brussels, 17/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - While Israeli bombardment of Hezbollah militias in the South of Lebanon, and the Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel, including on the town of Haifa, continued to intensify on Monday, and several European countries began evacuating their nationals from the Lebanon, EU foreign ministers called for de-escalation and the cessation of hostilities. Meeting in the “General Affairs/External Relations” Council, chaired by Finnish minister Erkki Tuomioja, the Twenty Five adopted conclusions, reflecting to a great extent the declaration which the G8 Summit adopted in Saint Petersburg on Sunday (see below), in which the EU expressed its “acute concern” over the number of victims, the deterioration in the humanitarian situation and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Lebanon. “These developments constitute a serious threat for peace and security in the region,” say the conclusions. Ministers called for the immediate liberation of the Israeli soldiers. They recognised Israel's legitimate right to defend itself, but urged it to exercise this right “with the utmost restraint” and without resorting to disproportionate measures. “All the parties must now do their utmost to protect civilian populations and to refrain from actions in violation of international humanitarian law. It is urgent to stop the violence and return to diplomacy. Only a political process of negotiation can bring lasting peace to the region”. The Council conclusions explicitly condemned the Hezbollah attacks on Israel and the abduction of two Israeli soldiers, and called for their immediate and unconditional release, as well as an end to all attacks on Israeli villages and towns. Ministers also stressed that the Lebanese government had to recover sovereignty over the whole of the country, and do its “utmost” to prevent attacks Hezbollah from launching attacks on Israel from its territory. All the parties involved in the conflict were called on to ensure that European citizens who wanted to leave Lebanon be allowed to do so rapidly and in safety.
In their conclusions, ministers did not mention, however, the idea raised by the G8 in Saint Petersburg on Sunday for an international security and monitoring force to be sent to Lebanon (see below). “This is first and foremost a matter for the United Nations,” Mr Tuomioja told reporters. “Nonetheless, Member States have already indicated their willingness to take part in such a force if it were to be set up,” he said, adding that, for the moment, it was only an “idea”.
Over lunch, ministers heard a report from the High Representative for the CFSP Javier Solana, who spend several hours in Beirut on Sunday for talks, principally with the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora (a planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could not take place “for logistic reasons”, said Mr Solana). The situation in Lebanon is “dramatic”, destruction is widespread, Mr Solana told press after the Council. The Lebanese Prime Minister is “a good man and we support him. We don't want anyone or anything to weaken the government of Lebanon,” he stressed.
On his arrival at the Council early in the afternoon, Mr Solana said he thought it would be very difficult to come to a ceasefire and that the best that could be expected in current circumstances was de-escalation. “At this point in time, this (a ceasefire) is something everybody would like to have. But I think we are a little bit far, still far from that situation,” he said.
The Council conclusions also made reference to the situation in Gaza. The Israeli soldier who was still being held by Hamas militias had also to be released immediately and unconditionally, said ministers. The Palestinian leadership had to put an end to the violence and terrorist activities, including the firing of rockets on Israel. Both sides were urged to improve the desperate humanitarian situation of the civilian population. The EU also remained “particularly concerned” at the arrest by Israel of several Palestinian ministers and parliamentarians, say the conclusions. The EU called for these people to be released immediately (see other articles on EU aid to Palestinians and to Lebanon).
G8 condemns “extremist elements” of Hamas and Hezbollah - Israel has the right to defend itself, but “must exercise utmost restraint” - Prospect of international security and monitoring force in Lebanon
On Sunday, G8 leaders, meeting in Saint Petersburg at the weekend, adopted a statement on the Middle East, in which they say the explosion of violence in the South of Lebanon and in Israel is the work of “extremist forces” who want to destabilise the region and “frustrate” the aspirations of the Palestinian, Israeli and Lebanese people for democracy and peace. “Elements of Hamas” in Gaza and members of Hezbollah in Lebanon have launched attacks against Israel, and have abducted and killed Israeli soldiers, said the leaders, adding “These extremist elements and those that support them cannot be allowed to plunge the Middle East into chaos and provoke wider conflict. The extremists must immediately halt their attacks”.
The message to Israel from the G8 is, “It is critical that Israel, while exercising the right to defend itself, be mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions. We call upon Israel to exercise the utmost restraint, seeking to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure and to refrain from acts that would destabilise the Lebanese government”. The G8 leaders said the most urgent priority is the creation of conditions for an immediate cessation of violence to form the basis for a lasting peace. For the G8 that would mean: - the return of the Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon unharmed; - an end to the shelling of Israeli territory; - an end to Israeli military operations and the early withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza; - and the release of the arrested Palestinian ministers and parliamentarians. These conditions would have to be met in the order they were presented in the statement, stressed German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “We are calling firstly for the return of the Israeli soldiers unharmed to Israel, and for the attacks against Israel to stop; then, naturally, for Israel to put an end to its military campaign,” she told press in Saint Petersburg.
The G8 also backed an international security and monitoring force in Lebanon under the UN. “We would welcome an examination by the UN Security Council of the possibility of an international security/monitoring presence,” says the Saint Petersburg declaration. “We are firmly convinced that the Lebanese government has to be given the necessary support to implement UN resolutions on South Lebanon. We also call for more action from the UN, a new observer and a security mission to be set up. This has to be done under the aegis of the UN,” Ms Merkel told reporters on Sunday.
Preparations for sending an international force to the Lebanon by the UN also dominated Monday, the last day of the G8 Summit in Saint Petersburg, where the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the parties in the Middle East to call a truce to allow such an international force to be put in place. Mr Annan said that the parties concerned had to agree to a ceasefire as quickly as possible to give UN the time to work on sending soldiers. He added that the force he envisaged was “a stabilisation force”. He is expecting the report of a UN team under his policy adviser Vijay Nambiar, who is currently in the region, towards the end of the week. “The only way to put an end to the violence is to have an international force in the area,” said British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday. Some press information from Israel quoted unofficial government sources as saying that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Elmert was opposed to the deployment of such an international force in the South of Lebanon.