SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Warning of the potential for a larger
war, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday called for an immediate end to
hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants and said international
peacekeepers should be sent to southern Lebanon.
UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan delivers a speech during a meeting in the Dominican Republic.
The United States and France faced mounting pressure as they battled to
overcome differences so that the UN Security Council can pass a resolution
calling for a halt to the Middle East
conflict.[AFP] |
Annan, on a one-day visit to the Dominican Republic, called for a series of
measures to resolve the Middle East crisis including a cease-fire, the
disarmament of Hezbollah and a redrawing of Lebanon's borders with Israel and
Syria.
"Otherwise, we may see explosions elsewhere," Annan said in a speech in the
capital of Santo Domingo.
He expressed hope the U.N. Security Council would agree on a resolution to
stop the fighting within days, and another resolution setting up a long-term
political framework to prevent future bloodshed.
Annan painted a grim picture of the situation in the region, describing
Israeli civilians hiding in bunkers and warning that Lebanon "is being
destroyed." He expressed doubt that the Israelis or Hezbollah would stop
fighting on their own.
"I have a sense both sides believe it's a war they ought to win. And both
sides believe they can win. And of course Hezbollah defines victory in a way I
don't think it can lose. Hezbollah says if we survive we have won," Annan said.
His comments come as U.S. officials said the United States and France are
close to agreement on a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at ending
fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
France, reflecting wide international opinion, wants an immediate halt to
combat. The United States, all but isolated except for Israel, does not want a
cease-fire without the immediate implementation of other steps, such as the
deployment of international peacekeepers.
Annan said that a multinational force would be needed to assist the Lebanese
government in disarming Hezbollah, and "to create a situation where there is
only one authority and only one government."
Annan also said a clear delineation of Lebanon's borders with Syria and
Israel was needed, but did not elaborate.