I don’t want to be pessimistic about the chances of a joint American-French brokered cease fire. But let’s just look at the ironies [emphasis mine].
France and the United States reached agreement Saturday on a Security Council resolution to halt the fighting in Lebanon and lay out plans for a permanent cease-fire and a long-term political settlement, a French official said Saturday…
…Under the terms of the diplomatic agreement, a Security Council resolution will call for an immediate cessation of attacks by Hezbollah and of “offensive military operations” by Israel, according to a French diplomatic official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been made public…
…The French official said that the text called for a buffer zone to be set up free of all but the Lebanese Army and United Nations-mandated forces in southern Lebanon…
…The air attack raging around Tyre for much of the night appeared to be cover for a raid by Israeli naval commandos on a four-room apartment used by Hezbollah guerrillas, leading to some of the most intense face-to-face fighting of the war so far.
While details were still sketchy, and the accounts from both sides differed, it appeared the commandos landed by helicopter near an orange grove around 3 a.m. and crept up to the apartment, cutting their way through a chain link fence to reach it.
Afterward, bloodstains on a wall and a parking lot indicated at least two mortal struggles, with bullet holes pocking the walls near the deep red marks…
The fight left seven Lebanese dead, hospital officials said. A Lebanese soldier was also killed, apparently when his unit fired at Israeli aircraft involved in the raid.
How the French and Americans can get the Lebanese Army to crack down on Hizbollah when they are currently fighting on their side, is a mystery to me.
I still maintain that they are simply going through the motions here. They may get a cease fire to hold for a time, but they will not get an international force in there unless it is purely an American one.
I really hope I’m wrong. Sometimes it is much better to be wrong.
Well, boo, I hate like hell to have to say it, but it is all fruitless, until such time, that the Israelis are in coordination for this ceasefire as well; otherwise it is doomed, and we all know it. Israel has to recognize this truce as well, don’t you see. What have we heard from them? Nada..not one damn word, just the demands on the Lebanese…what a sincere shame.
See Oui’s diary on the side bar. Interesting that the multinational force will be keeping tabs along Syria as well. Oh well, the more things seem to change the more they stay the same.
Right brenda-this whole ‘Truce Pact’ seems to be a completely toothless agreement and making Hizbollah out to be the complete bad guys/Israel good guys..and as I mentioned in Oui’s diary, does anyone really believe Hizbollah will just give up and completely disarm..maybe when as is said hell freezes over.
…and just who is gonna be their peace-keeps at the gate??? take a look at this one and think this prez is a smart whip…got to just hugs him till he knews he is just a child and all..the poor bastard, after all, he is the decider…what do ys ahink of that one now.
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In the Oval Office in December 2002, the president met with a few ranking senators and members of the House, both Republicans and Democrats. In those days, there were high hopes that the United States-sponsored ”road map” for the Israelis and Palestinians would be a pathway to peace, and the discussion that wintry day was, in part, about countries providing peacekeeping forces in the region. The problem, everyone agreed, was that a number of European countries, like France and Germany, had armies that were not trusted by either the Israelis or Palestinians. One congressman — the Hungarian-born Tom Lantos, a Democrat from California and the only Holocaust survivor in Congress — mentioned that the Scandinavian countries were viewed more positively. Lantos went on to describe for the president how the Swedish Army might be an ideal candidate to anchor a small peacekeeping force on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Sweden has a well-trained force of about 25,000. The president looked at him appraisingly, several people in the room recall.
”I don’t know why you’re talking about Sweden,” Bush said. ”They’re the neutral one. They don’t have an army.”
Lantos paused, a little shocked, and offered a gentlemanly reply: ”Mr. President, you may have thought that I said Switzerland. They’re the ones that are historically neutral, without an army.” Then Lantos mentioned, in a gracious aside, that the Swiss do have a tough national guard to protect the country in the event of invasion.
Bush held to his view. ”No, no, it’s Sweden that has no army.”
The room went silent, until someone changed the subject.
A few weeks later, members of Congress and their spouses gathered with administration officials and other dignitaries for the White House Christmas party. The president saw Lantos and grabbed him by the shoulder. ”You were right,” he said, with bonhomie. ”Sweden does have an army.”
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F30F1EF93A5F0C748DDDA90994DC404482
…but I don’t think you are, for the very reasons you listed.
“France and the US reach a deal on a cease fire in Lebanon” is akin to the fractured logic of “Bin Laden and Al Qaeda attacked us so we’re going to retaliate by attacking Saddam Hussein and Iraq.”
Cheney and the neocons have enshrined “cognitive dissonance” at the very core of their agenda.
Karl Rove also plays the game with the infamous soundbite; “You may not agree with with him but at least you know where the President stands”, as though such an empty statement represents a positive attribute, as though knowing person is an idiot is a reason to support him.
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The resolution asks that Israel and Lebanon agree to a set of principles to achieve a long-term peace. One crucial element is an arms embargo that would block any entity except the Lebanese government from buying weapons.
Other principles spelled out in the resolution include the disarmament of Hezbollah; the creation of a buffer zone from the U.N.-demarcated border between Israel and Lebanon north to the Litani River; and the delineation of Lebanon’s borders, especially in the disputed Sheba’a Farms area.
May 2000 -- A group of farms close to the poorly-defined border of Lebanon and Syria has emerged as a potential new flashpoint for conflict between Israel and Lebanese Muslim guerrillas.A SECOND SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION REQUIRED
The resolution would call for the current U.N. force in Lebanon, known by its acronym UNIFIL, to monitor the cessation in fighting. Once Israel and Lebanon have agreed to the series of principles, the Security Council would then authorize a new peacekeeping force for the region.
‘100,000’ London March for Peace in Lebanon
≈ Cross-posted from my diary —
US – France OK UN SC Mideast Truce Pact ≈
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
lol,
It looks like the irrelevant country of cowards, cheese eater monkeys, are trying to save what is left of the US/Israeli ass in ME 😉
the Lebanese have every right to continue to resist them militarily whatever Bolton says.
The proposed idiotic UN resolution gives Israel the right to do whatver it likes in Lebanon as long as it labels it defensive! The Lebanese are not allowed to even defend themselves militarily. What self respecting people will put up with a bunch of proven war criminals occupying their land and homes! And that is what the Bolton led UN wants Lebanon to accept. Cant see any end to hostilities unles Olmert pulls his thugs out. However resistance to the occupiers will allow Israel to say Lebanon are breaking the Bolton UN resolution. Truly fucking amazing how even the UN lines up to support past, present and future Israeli massacres of kids.
They have the French Foriegn Legion. Basically, they don’t care if these people get killed. These soldiers fight for the honor of the Legion, they have never surrendered. I remember in Bosnia they refused to paint their vehicles UN White because it the color of surrender. Their reward after service is French citizenship. Other than that,they are similar to mercenaries. The French dispatch them to a lot of unsavory places. Basically, the French people won’t care if they take casualties. In a sense that makes them immune to terrorist attack or the political effects of asymetric warfare, because it won’t inspire “terror” in anyone and there won’t be as severe political consequences if they are attacked. Hezbollah will know this, and this should dampen their enthusiasm for attacking the French because they will have little to gain in doing so. They also don’t care about Isreal all that much being one step above mercenaries, so they are likely to be seen as impartial.
They are also the only force that can do this job other than a US. Who else has 30,000 troops? Who is willing to fight their way in and take casualties? No other nation will stand up a force to do this. The French also fancy themselves a power, and since they have had influence in this region before, and a vested interest in maintaining their influence, this may be a good move for them.
This is why we are talking to the French, and why France is important right now. They have the perfect force for this operation.