UN chief in Syria, blasts Israel over cluster bombs

Thu Aug 31, 10:51 AM ET

DAMASCUS (AFP) - UN chief Kofi Annan has lambasted Israel for using cluster bombs during its war with Hezbollah as he arrived in Syria for talks on shoring up the truce in Lebanon.

"Those kinds of weapons shouldn't be used in civilian and populated areas ... and (we need to) move very quickly to disarm them," Annan said in Jordan Thursday, before heading off to Syria, the main backer of Hezbollah along with Iran.

Annan echoed criticism of Israeli military tactics by UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland, who said Israel dropped hundreds of cluster bombs in the final days of the month-long conflict before a ceasefire took effect August 14.

"What's shocking, and I would say completely immoral, is that 90 percent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when we knew there would be a resolution, when we knew there would be an end," Egeland said.

In Syria, Annan was to meet Thursday evening with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and on Friday hold talks with President Bashar al-Assad, whose country is widely believed to funnel arms to Hezbollah.

He was expected to press Assad to cooperate in the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution that halted the war in Lebanon.

Syria's stance is deemed critical to the success of Resolution 1701, which calls for a strengthened international force in south Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army there, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

As Annan continued his Middle East mission, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora appealed to some 50 countries attending an international donors' conference in Sweden to help his country rebuild following the devastating Israeli offensive, putting the damage at billions of dollars.

"The direct damage from this last invasion to our infrastructure and to our public and private property is now running into the billions of dollars, while loss to GDP, job losses and the long-term direct and indirect costs to the economy, including lost revenues in tourism, agriculture and industry are expected to be billions more," Siniora told the meeting.

The conference, which hopes to raise 500 million dollars, seeks to address "access to medical care, key roads and bridges, markets, and removal of unexploded ordnance," said Kathleen Cravero of the UN Development Program.

Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson told Lebanon in opening the meeting: "You are not alone."

He said his country was hosting the conference "as an act of solidarity and we do it in support of a democratic and prosperous Lebanon that contributes to regional peace and security."

In Israel, Annan had tried but failed to persuade the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to lift its rigid air and naval blockade on Lebanon which remains in place despite the truce, hampering hopes of recovery.

Olmert said Israel would only lift the blockade after international forces and Lebanese troops are fully deployed, not only in southern Lebanon but also along the Syrian border.

Annan told French radio Thursday Israel had agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon once 5,000 UN peacekeepers and 16,000 Lebanese troops have been deployed, something he hoped would happen in "a week to 10 days".

However Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisen said it was not a matter of numbers but the effectiveness of the force.

Annan also demanded the release of two soldiers whose capture on July 12 sparked Israel's offensive against Hezbollah, and said full implementation of the UN resolution that brokered a ceasefire could lead to a "durable peace".

But Siniora, who has accused Israel of crimes against humanity, said Lebanon would be the "last Arab country" to make peace with Israel. The two have had no relations since Israel's creation in 1948.

At least 1,287 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, were killed during the conflict as well as 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers.

Hezbollah has demanded that Israel free Arab prisoners in return for the two soldiers, and local media have said talks on a potential swap are under way.

An unnamed senior Israeli official was quoted Thursday by army radio as saying Israel is ready to negotiate with the Lebanese government for the release of the two soldiers.

The official said Israel would not talk directly with Hezbollah over a possible swap.

Also Thursday, the Israeli army confirmed that it had withdrawn from eastern parts of southern Lebanon, transferring control over a border area to UN forces for the first time since the end of the war.

According to a spokeswoman, the army has withdrawn from more than two-thirds of the area it occupied during the war against Hezbollah.

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.