(Reuters)
28 October 2006
BEIRUT - The European Union’s foreign policy chief said on Saturday he had told Israel to stop its jets flying over Lebanon, echoing an earlier call by France.
“I’m coming from Israel to tell you that I talked with the Prime Minister (Ehud Olmert), I talked with the Minister of Defence (Amir Peretz) and made very, very clear ... that this has to stop,” Javier Solana told reporters at a news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
“We want to have (UN) Resolution 1701 applied by everybody.”
French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said last week that Israel’s violations of Lebanese airspace were “extremely dangerous” and the flights should stop immediately.
Israel later said its combat planes would continue to fly over Lebanon.
Israeli jets have routinely flown over Lebanon since a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas ended on Aug. 14 in a UN-brokered ceasefire. An international peacekeeping force, including a French contingent, has been expanded in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon and the United Nations say the Israeli flights violate the ceasefire resolution. Israel says the missions are necessary to help ensure that arms are not smuggled into southern Lebanon from Syria to rearm Hezbollah.
Solana also pledged his support for Siniora, two days before Lebanese politicians are due to hold talks for up to 15 days to discuss demands for a national unity government and a new election law.
“The manner in which Prime Minister Siniora handled this very complicated time is an example of dignity and an example of patriotism,” Solana said.
“You have to reconstruct your country and you will need not only the help and support of your people but also the moral support and the physical support, and the economic support of the international community.
“The European Union will be with you, you can be sure about that.”
Backing Siniora
BEIRUT (Agencies)UN urges Solana to pressure Israel on overflights.
The European Union foreign policy chief yesterday reinforced his support for the Lebanese Prime Minister’s embattled government during talks with the country’s top political leaders.
Javier Solana is on a six-day swing through the Middle East to examine prospects for restarting stalled Israel-Palestinian peace talks and for stabilising Lebanon in the wake of last summer’s Israeli offensive.
The one-day visit to Beirut was to send a strong message to Syria and its Lebanese allies that Europe, which is providing the bulk of the current 7,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in South Lebanon, wants to keep prime Minister Fuad Siniora’s government in office.
“We have real and important responsibilities in Lebanon,” Solana said in Israel before heading to Beirut.
Behind closed doors, EU officials were expected to voice concern over growing tensions between rival Lebanese factions, which threaten Siniora’s fragile coalition.
Solana, who arrived in Lebanon late on Friday, said after meeting parliament Speaker Nabih Berri yesterday that the EU will “continue to be engaged” in trying to bolster Siniora’s government.
The EU official also welcomed an initiative launched by Berri, an ally of the resistance group Hizbollah, calling for talks on October 30 between rival political factions in Lebanon – both pro- and anti-Syrian, Christian and Muslim.
“We hope that the product of that dialogue will be a constructive one for the future of Lebanon,” Solana said after meeting Berri.
Solana’s visit comes as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stepped up the pressure on Hizbollah to disarm. Rice said in a television interview aired on Friday that Hizbollah should drop its armed struggle if it wants to continue playing a role in Lebanese politics.
The disarming of Hizbollah, a key international demand, has caused internal struggles between the Western-backed government and the resistance group as the Lebanese army tries to take control of Hizbollah’s longtime stronghold in the south.
The UN-brokered ceasefire that ended last summer’s war with Israel called for Hizbollah to disarm, but the resistance group has refused to lay down its weapons.
The 15,000 Lebanese troops who patrol a buffer zone in southern Lebanon and the UN peacekeepers backing them haven’t shown the political will to take Hizbollah’s weapons by force.
Solana also met yesterday with Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, leader of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, to get an assessment on the UN mission’s progress in south Lebanon. EU officials said Pellegrini expected to have up to 10,000 UNIFIL troops deployed by December 1.Pellegrini yesterday urged Solana to pressure Israel to end its controversial overflights of Lebanon, a UN official said.
The UNIFIL has previously complained that the continued overflights are harming its mission in Lebanon.
The issue was raised by Pellegrini during the 40 minute meeting with Solana at UNIFIL headquarters in Beirut, the official said.
“(Pellegrini) complained about the overflights,” UNIFIL spokesman Daljeet Bagga said. “He asked Solana to pressure the Israelis.”
Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz has said that Israel would continue the overflights, claiming they were needed to stem alleged arms smuggling to Hizbollah.
Bagga said there were “sometimes between nine and 15 flights a day, which is quite a lot actually ... (they occur) sometimes late at night.”
“It is very discomforting for the Lebanese, it could easily lead to some incident,” Bagga said.Asked about Israel’s claims that arms were being smuggled to Hizbollah, he replied: “We have no idea really whether weapons are coming in or not – we are not really sure.”
Pertinent Links:
1) EU’s Solana tells Israel stop flights over Lebanon
2) Backing Siniora
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