Brussels, 26/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - While the Finnish EU Presidency decided on Wednesday to convene an extraordinary meeting of the General Affairs Council on 1 August in order to discuss the situation in the Middle East, the International Conference in Rome on Lebanon ended on 26 July with the adoption of a joint statement in which participants (including the European Union, represented by Erkki Tuomioja, Javier Solana and Benita Ferrero-Waldner) express their “determination to work immediately to reach with the utmost urgency a ceasefire which must be lasting, permanent and sustainable”. An international force in Lebanon should be “urgently” authorised under the UN mandate to support the Lebanese armed forces in providing a secure environment in Lebanon, as requested by the foreign ministers and representatives of the 11 countries (United States, Italy, Lebanon, France, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan) and the three international organisations (European Union, UN, World Bank) present in Rome. Discussions on the exact mandate and practical modalities of such a mission will continue in coming days.
One “fundamental condition” for lasting stability and security in Lebanon is that the government and the army of Lebanon have effective control over the whole of the country's territory, the declaration also stresses, placing emphasis on the complete implementation of all the UN Security Council resolutions on Lebanon, and essentially Resolution 1559. With a view to helping the Lebanese government rebuild the infrastructure destroyed by Israeli bombing, the Rome Conference decided to convene an international donors' conference to raise funds. Any lasting solution to the Middle East tension must be “regional”, the Rome declaration states, concluding that the final objective of any effort must be “comprehensive and sustainable peace” for the whole region.
“It is important for us to work with the countries of the region to find a solution. That should also include Iran and Syria”, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said during the conference. It is also important that the countries wishing to take part in this international force should rapidly state how they plan to contribute to the operation which is to “stabilise southern Lebanon and allow the Lebanese government time and space to prepare its own troops and be able to extend its authority throughout the country and to bring under government authority all the weapons and guns in the country. One gun one authority”, Mr Annan explained. Immediate action is also required to carry humanitarian aid to where it is needed, hence the importance of an immediate ceasefire, the UN secretary general stressed.
A ceasefire is needed “most urgently” but the most important thing is to ensure that it is “sustainable” as, “unfortunately, that region has had already too many broken ceasefires”, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the press. She went on to state that Resolution 1559 must be respected, including by Syria, which, she said, has not so far respected its obligations and responsibilities under this resolution. Ms Rice was also ”deeply concerned” by the role of Iran in this war and restated the US position that the future international force in Lebanon must have a “robust” mandate with “strong military capabilities” to help the Lebanese Army control the whole of the country. She hammered home the fact that there could be “no return to status quo ante” as it stood before the Israeli offensive.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told the press that he continues to call for an immediate ceasefire to put an end to the suffering of the civilian population and to allow humanitarian aid where necessary. “The more we delay the ceasefire, the more we are going to have death, destruction and more aggression against the civilians”, he told reporters.
The European Union also reacted with consternation on Wednesday to the death of four United Nations observers who were killed on Tuesday evening during an Israeli bombing raid on a United Nations observation post in southern Lebanon. “Attacks against UN personnel are unacceptable”, he stipulated in a declaration published on Wednesday by the EU Finnish Presidency on behalf of the Twenty-Five. The Finnish president, Tarja Halonen, has called for an immediate and full inquiry into this event.