to complete military offensive in Lebanon
Last update - 03:16 23/07/2006
By Aluf Benn, Shmuel Rosner and Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies
On the eve of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Jerusalem, senior officials believe Israel has an American nod to continue operations against Hezbollah at least until next Sunday.
Rice will first explore ways with Israel's leadership to end the crisis and begin to shape a new order in Lebanon. She will return next Sunday to try to implement a cease-fire.
From Jerusalem, Rice will go on to Rome to meet senior delegates from the UN and Arab states. They will discuss formulating a political arrangement and a plan to rehabilitate Lebanon. From Rome she will travel to an Asian conference in Malaysia, from where she will return to Israel.
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The meeting comes on the heels of growing criticism among several Security Council members and European countries regarding the United States' abstention from efforts to secure a cease-fire. France on Wednesday launched an initiative to get the Security Council, which is holding an open debate today, to call for an immediate cease-fire.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741445.html