EU commissioner urges respect for humanitarian rules in Mideast conflict
AFP
Date: 08-10-06
BRUSSELS (AFP) - EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel, who is to visit Lebanon and Israel next week, has urged the two sides in the war to respect humanitarian norms.
"I call again for respect of the international humanitarian rules that are designed to limit the effects of armed conflict on non-combatants," Michel said in a statement Thursday.
"Conditions are deteriorating for civilians in Lebanon as well as in northern Israel," the Belgian commissioner said.
"The situation in southern Lebanon is particularly critical and it is vital to restore access to the people trapped there who urgently need help," he added.
Michel is to visit Lebanon on August 14-16 and Israel on the 17th to discuss "humanitarian access to victims of the conflict and an end to hostilities".
The commissioner will be preceded by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who is to visit the region at the end of this week for high-level discussions on a UN Security Council resolution to end the conflict, the statement said.
The European Commission has already earmarked 20 million euros (25.7 million dollars) for relief aid in Lebanon and has proposed dipping into a emergency reserve to increase aid to 50 million euros.
Source
About headlines and content that has changed after it was added to this site - see disclaimer here
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.