France Proposes Humanitarian Truce in Lebanon
19 July 2006
French President Jacques Chirac has proposed what he calls a humanitarian truce in Lebanon to allow foreigners to evacuate and Lebanese civilians to flee Israeli bombardments.
Mr. Chirac, in a statement, also proposed humanitarian corridors through which civilians can flee the conflict and international aid can reach Lebanese civilians.
He said France is sending an aircraft to Cyprus with water, electrical generators for hospitals and large quantities of medicine.
In Jerusalem, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, called Wednesday for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. This is Solana's second visit to the region in a matter of days.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that a cease-fire should happen quickly, but not until - "conditions are conducive."
The Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in a joint news conference with Rice, said it is "imperative" to end the fighting as soon as possible.
The New York Times is reporting Wednesday that the U.S. has agreed that Israel can continue its offensive against Hezbollah for another week.
France has also proposed a U.N. Security Council resolution for a lasting truce. The French ambassador to the U.N., Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, presented the ideas Tuesday.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is to brief the council Thursday on the findings of a U.N. team sent to the region to try to defuse the crisis.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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