LIVNI: WAR NOT OVER, WE ARE FIGHTING DIPLOMACY BATTLE
By Shlomo Shamir and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Staff and Agencies
Ha’aretz, Israel
Aug. 17, 2006
NEW YORK – Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in New York yesterday to meet
with United Nations officials, called on the international community
to help uphold the UN-brokered cease-fire agreement and to prevent
the replenishment of Hezbollah’s arms.
In opening remarks to the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations, Livni said the Security Council resolution that
brought about the cease-fire is a first step toward peace, but that
"the war is not over yet."
Livni met with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday to discuss
the importance for Israel of a speedy deployment of the 15,000-strong
UN force, her spokesman Mark Regev said. The foreign minister accused
Hezbollah of being a pawn for Iran’s larger goals for the region.
"Hezbollah, which is a terrorist organization, represents the Iranian
interest in the region, the Iranian hatred, the Iranian ideology
against the West and its values," she said.
Calling Hezbollah weaker after the Israeli offensive, Livni underscored
the importance of enforcing the arms embargo on Hezbollah, as is
called for in the resolution.
The foreign minister also called for the closure of the Syrian and
Lebanese border, in order to hamper any aid from reaching Hezbollah.
Livni reiterated her call for the unconditional release of two Israeli
soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah on July 12, also stipulated in the
council resolution.
"The fact that these soldiers are being kept by Hezbollah is in
violation of the Security Council resolution," Livni said. "Before
I came here, I met the families … and I promised we are not going
to rest until these soldiers come back to their families."
Meanwhile, the upgrading of the present peace-keeping force in Lebanon
from 2,000 to 15,000 soldiers, as called for in the UN resolution,
has been delayed. Sources at UN headquarters told Haaretz Monday that
no official agreement had yet been reached with any of the members the
UN had approached on the matter. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told
Haaretz that the UN is in talks with 40 countries that have expressed
willingness to take part in the force, but conceded that at present
"none of the countries have given official agreement."
Dujarric also said that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had spoken by
phone with European Union representatives for foreign and security
affairs, and with senior French government officials, in order to
deploy the force as quickly as possible. The French are expected to
send thousands of soldiers.
Other countries named as possible members of the force include Italy,
Germany, the Scandinavian countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.
However with regard to the latter, Turkey’s Armenian political party
Tashnak released a statement announcing its opposition to Turkey
joining the peace-keeping force in Lebanon. The party said Turkey had
committed genocide against the Armenian people in the last century,
and that 4 percent of Lebanon’s citizens are Armenians, who the party
said have no real political power. Tashnak said its opposition also
stemmed from the fact that Turkey had military agreements with Israel.
Sources in New York said building a peace-keeping force normally takes
a few months. However this time, the sources said, the Security Council
resolution required quick deployment – meaning that some procedures
had to be detoured.