Former US secretary of state urges ceasefire talks
Fri Jul 28, 9:19 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Ex US secretary of state Warren Christopher criticized US resistance to an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East conflict and urged prompt US involvement to end the bloodshed, in a letter to The Washington Post.
"It is time for the United States to step forward with the authority and balance that this moment requires," he said.
Drawing from his experience under former president Bill Clinton in resolving similar skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah, in 1993 and 1996, Christopher, 80, said it was "my belief that in the short term we should focus our efforts on stopping the killing."
He said it was "disappointing" to see Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice making use of "wrongly focused diplomacy" tying any ceasefire to a permanent solution that addresses the root causes of the conflict.
"Such a solution is achievable, if at all, only after protracted negotiations involving multiple parties. In the meantime, civilians will continue to die, precious infrastructure will continue to be destroyed and the fragile Lebanese democracy will continue to erode," said Christopher, who served as top US diplomat from 1993-1997.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060728/pl_afp/mideastconflictus_060728131949;_ylt=Ajlf9aLrI4A3P.SAuUviZj8FO7gF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA--A Time To Act
By Warren Christopher
Friday, July 28, 2006; Page A25
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's just-concluded trip to Lebanon, Israel and Rome was an exercise in grace, bravery and, to my regret, wrongly focused diplomacy. Especially disappointing is the fact that she resisted all suggestions that the first order of business should be negotiation of an immediate cease-fire between the warring parties.
In the course of her trip, the secretary repeatedly insisted that any cease-fire be tied to a "permanent" and "sustainable" solution to the root causes of the conflict. Such a solution is achievable, if at all, only after protracted negotiations involving multiple parties. In the meantime, civilians will continue to die, precious infrastructure will continue to be destroyed and the fragile Lebanese democracy will continue to erode.
My own experience in the region underlies my belief that in the short term we should focus our efforts on stopping the killing. Twice during my four years as secretary of state we faced situations similar to the one that confronts us today. Twice, at the request of the Israelis, we helped bring the bloodshed to an end.
In June 1993, Israel responded to Hezbollah rocket attacks along its northern border by launching Operation Accountability, resulting in the expulsion of 250,000 civilians from the southern part of Lebanon.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/27/AR2006072701420.html?sub=AR
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