If Lebanon don't want peace, What's next?

Question

Lebanon refuses contact with Israel
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB,
Associated Press Writer

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said Wednesday that he refused to have any direct contact with Israel and Lebanon would be the last Arab country to ever sign a peace deal with the Jewish state.

Answer 1

Under UNSC Resolution 1701 up to 15,000 UNFIL troops and up to 15,000 Lebanese soldiers are to be deployed and enforce an arms embargo on Hezbollah. Currently, 2,500 U.N. observers are monitoring the Israel-Lebanon border, but have a very limited mandate.

The force dubbed by Kofi Annan UNIFIL-2 has no operational plan to enforce the UN arms embargo which would entail stemming the heavy flow of Iranian arms shipments entering Lebanon day by day along two Syrian tracks. Long, heavily laden convoys are heading from the Syrian ports of Latakia and Tartus to the Lebanese Beqaa Valley, bringing Hizballah its first heavy missiles - the Russian-made Scud-B adapted by Iran as Shahab-1, which has a one-ton warhead and range of 350 km. A second track brings 3-5 Iranian air cargoes every day to Syrian air bases near the Lebanese border

Israel has said it would not lift its blockade unless international forces, along with Lebanese troops, are deployed on the Israel-Lebanon border, as well as on Lebanon's frontier with Syria to prevent the flow of weapons to Hezbollah.

Syria has said it would consider the presence of international troops on its border a hostile act and Lebanon has said it would deploy its own forces there, but not let international troops patrol in the area. Annan has backed Lebanon in the dispute and called on "all the neighbors" to cooperate in implementing the cease-fire deal.


On Wednesday, a Hezbollah cabinet minister said that the guerrilla group will not release the two captured Israeli soldiers unconditionally, and that they would only be freed in a prisoner exchange.
"There will be no unconditional release. This is not possible," Minister of Energy and Hydraulic Resources Mohammed Fneish said in Beirut. He is one of two Hezbollah members in Lebanon's Cabinet.



Prime Minister Fouad Siniora pledged to distribute some LL50 million ($33,000) in aid to each family whose home was completely destroyed during the recent Israeli-Hezbollah offensive. A government primary estimation shows that 130,000 houses across Lebanon have been demolished or damaged of which 50,000 are in Beirut's southern suburbs. Several Arab countries had offered to rebuild entire villages that had been partially or completely destroyed during the recent conflict.

"Saudi Arabia has pledged to reconstruct 10 villages, Qatar one village, Yemen one village, Bahrain one village," Siniora said. "We will propose the idea of such help to the countries taking part in the Stockholm conference."

Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport will be repaired at no charge by the Consolidated Contractors Company, he added.

"The eastern runway, 21, has been completely fixed ... The western runway, 17, is currently under reconstruction and needs three days to be fully operational. The rest of the runways need a few days before they will be operational," Siniora said.

"The Stockholm conference, which will be attended by 60 governments and organizations, will constitute a primary remedy to the results of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. The Beirut I international donor conference will take place later this year.

Israel's Prime Minister Olmert said he hoped the cease-fire would provide dialogue between Israel and Lebanon to allow "direct contact" between the government of Israel and the government of Lebanon to hopefully to reach agreement between the two countries. He said, the deal could be "a cornerstone to build a new reality between Israel and Lebanon."

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Wednesday that Lebanon will be the last Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, vowing that he would not hold "direct or indirect contacts" with Israel.

Answer 2

Who can blame him?First Israel drops bombs on Lebanon,invades southern Lebanon,kills 1000 civilians and now they want to talk?they could have talked before that,but no,Israel doesn't negotiate with "terrorists"(all Muslims in their opinion)...If Israel wouldn't have wanted this war they would have negotiated...
What's next?Israel will have to lift the blockade over Lebanon and Hezbollah will get what they wanted:they will trade the 2 soldiers for Lebanese held in Israeli prisons...So in the end Israel gets nothing and makes another enemy,while Hezbollah wins...

Answer 3

World War 3

Answer 4

Dude,

Both sides are way out of line. International law? There is not such a thing. How about International respect? Respect for ones neighbor's, beliefs, and right to exist. What ever God you may believe in the Natural law is that governments and cultures do clash, but it starts out with the individual citizen. I have no problem with people and from what I see Hezbollah does good for the community, but they have a political agenda (NOT GOOD). My government the US is selling weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION to Israel which does not respect International law. When are you going to stop blaming others for your pains and intolerance's and start looking at what you and your country is doing to add to the problem? Perhaps a good old fashion WW III is needed to cleanse the human soul.

Answer 5

God gave that land to the Jewish Nobody can take it from them soon as everybody gets that in there head then there will be peace but we all no that wont happen so everybody better get right or get left.

Answer 6

then there could be a war even a new world war someone told me that the next eworld war would not be between russia and the usa but wouold start in the middle east.

Answer 7

Well, I'm sure all sides are re-loading for the next round of bloodshed!!! To bad for all those that simply want to live in peace on all sides of this issue...

Answer 8

yeah, why dont you give us the WHOLE article? typical, give only one side of the story.

Israel is still currently at war with lebanon because they have a blockade imposed on them. In international law blockade=act of war. Oh yeah I FORGOT INTERNATIONAL LAW DOESNT APPLY TO ISRAEL.

Answer 9

Lebanon is right. They should not negotiate with terrorist.

Answer 10

Bring our soldiers home!! or do you want more dead? Lebanon or Iraq, or any Palestinian country don't want us!!