In wake of new attacks, Annan rushes back to Israel and Gaza, calls for restraint
12 October -- Cutting short his visit to Lebanon to return to Israel and Gaza today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that the present crisis could destabilize the region and urged all parties to exercise restraint.
Reacting to the news of recent violence in the West Bank, which he called "chilling," Mr. Annan noted that it came on top of two weeks of tragedy which saw over a hundred people killed and a thousand wounded - mostly Palestinians but also Israelis. "We are at risk of seeing a dangerous situation escalate to a crisis that could destabilize an entire region," the Secretary-General said in a statement released in Beirut.
Mr. Annan appealed to all leaders and citizens to "stop and think about what they are doing today and what kind of tomorrow they want for their children." He also cautioned that violence breeds violence, and urged people to "opt for restraint."
Mr. Annan also expressed his "deep sadness at the suffering and loss of so many victims of this chaos," and repeated his call that all people "respect life, renounce violence and return to rational discourse."
Yesterday, the Secretary-General announced that the Israeli and Palestinian leadership had decided to convene an urgent meeting of the trilateral security committee chaired by the United States. Today he stressed that the need for such a meeting "is now all the more urgent."
The announcement yesterday came through Mr. Annan's spokesman and was released in Jerusalem. It noted that the trilateral security committee, which was set up by the Wye River Accords of 1998, is made up of senior security officials of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States as chair.
While in Lebanon, the Secretary-General met with President Emile Lahoud in Beirut. According to a UN spokesman, Mr. Annan briefed President Lahoud on his ongoing efforts in the region. They also discussed the situation along the line of withdrawal, known as the Blue Line. The Secretary-General again urged Lebanon to deploy additional security resources along the line as way of promoting stability in the area.
At a press conference following their meeting, Mr. Annan stressed the need to "do whatever we can to bring the bloodshed to [an] end." He said he didn't think anyone would win this game -- "Israelis are losers, Palestinians are losers, we are all losers... in the region as well as in the world."
Following his meeting with the Lebanese President, the Secretary-General met with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, who is also visiting Beirut.
Before returning to Israel and Gaza, the Secretary-General flew to Naqoora, where the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is headquartered. There, he was briefed by the UNIFIL Force Commander on the situation along the withdrawal line.
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