Ed Kent
2006-06-28 14:54:28 UTC
http://pnews.org/
Progressive News & Views (since 1982)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/732490.html
Last update - 16:41 28/06/2006
EU: Israel and Palestinians must step back from brink before crisis
By News Agencies
The European Union urged both Israel and the Palestinians on Wedndesday,
to "step back from the brink" and allow diplomacy to resolve the crisis
caused by the abduction of an Israel Defense Forces soldier by militants
in the Gaza Strip.
"All sides need to consider their responsibilities extremely carefully,"
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a
statement on Wednesday, after IDF troops moved into the Gaza Strip,
shelling targets and bombing power stations and a bridge.
"Both sides need to step back from the brink before this becomes a
crisis that neither side can control," Ferrero-Waldner warned.
The IDF operation was aimed at pressuring militants to release IDF
soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit, captured during a cross-border raid on
Sunday. The militants have demanded that all Palestinian women and
children held in Israeli jails be set free.
Wednesday's EU statement demanded that the Palestinian militants
immediately release Shalit, saying that keeping him would only make
things worse for the Palestinian people.
"It is unacceptable to seek political goals by such means,"
Ferrero-Waldner said.
She reiterated a call for those holding Shalit to free him, and urged
Israel to "act with prudence," in order to allow for the success of
diplomatic efforts to secure his release.
Ferrero-Waldner expressed concern about the IDF shelling that had
disrupted electricity supplies in much of Gaza, saying vital services
such as hospitals also had been affected.
"Everything must be done to prevent the humanitarian situation from
worsening," she said.
Austria, the current president of the EU, also called for the IDF
soldier's "immediate and unconditional release."
Austria urged "the Palestinian leadership to undertake all necessary
efforts in this regard" and called on all parties to show restraint and
to "avoid further escalation."
In his weekly House of Commons question session, British Prime Minister
Tony Blair said Wednesday that the IDF offensive in Gaza demonstrated
the importance of restarting the peace process, "which is the only way
to stop events like the terrible events of the last 24 hours."
"In the end, what is necessary obviously is to make sure that peace and
calm is restored so that there's some possibility of getting negotiation
going," he said.
Blair said he still wanted to return to the long-stalled road map peace
plan drafted by the Quartet, which is made up of the United States, the
United Nations, the European Union and Russia.
In Paris, France's Foreign Minister denounced the use of force by both
sides saying the crisis could only be solved through a political dialogue.
Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he still believed it was
possible to restart the stalled peace process, and pointed to the
announcement Tuesday of a Palestinian plan that implicitly recognizes
Israel. He described the plan, hammered out by rival Hamas and Fatah
movements, as a "significant step forward."
In Tokyo, the government said it was reevaluating a trip by Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the Middle East next month, following
reports of the Israeli incursion into Gaza.
The Japanese leader was expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian
territories before attending the G8 summit of industrialized nations in
mid-July in Russia. But the recent spike in violence may alter those
plans, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.
"At this stage, we have not decided on what to do," Abe said. "In any
case, various things occur in this region, so we need to constantly keep
a close watch."
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is
legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
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---------------------------------------------
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Progressive News & Views (since 1982)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/732490.html
Last update - 16:41 28/06/2006
EU: Israel and Palestinians must step back from brink before crisis
By News Agencies
The European Union urged both Israel and the Palestinians on Wedndesday,
to "step back from the brink" and allow diplomacy to resolve the crisis
caused by the abduction of an Israel Defense Forces soldier by militants
in the Gaza Strip.
"All sides need to consider their responsibilities extremely carefully,"
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a
statement on Wednesday, after IDF troops moved into the Gaza Strip,
shelling targets and bombing power stations and a bridge.
"Both sides need to step back from the brink before this becomes a
crisis that neither side can control," Ferrero-Waldner warned.
The IDF operation was aimed at pressuring militants to release IDF
soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit, captured during a cross-border raid on
Sunday. The militants have demanded that all Palestinian women and
children held in Israeli jails be set free.
Wednesday's EU statement demanded that the Palestinian militants
immediately release Shalit, saying that keeping him would only make
things worse for the Palestinian people.
"It is unacceptable to seek political goals by such means,"
Ferrero-Waldner said.
She reiterated a call for those holding Shalit to free him, and urged
Israel to "act with prudence," in order to allow for the success of
diplomatic efforts to secure his release.
Ferrero-Waldner expressed concern about the IDF shelling that had
disrupted electricity supplies in much of Gaza, saying vital services
such as hospitals also had been affected.
"Everything must be done to prevent the humanitarian situation from
worsening," she said.
Austria, the current president of the EU, also called for the IDF
soldier's "immediate and unconditional release."
Austria urged "the Palestinian leadership to undertake all necessary
efforts in this regard" and called on all parties to show restraint and
to "avoid further escalation."
In his weekly House of Commons question session, British Prime Minister
Tony Blair said Wednesday that the IDF offensive in Gaza demonstrated
the importance of restarting the peace process, "which is the only way
to stop events like the terrible events of the last 24 hours."
"In the end, what is necessary obviously is to make sure that peace and
calm is restored so that there's some possibility of getting negotiation
going," he said.
Blair said he still wanted to return to the long-stalled road map peace
plan drafted by the Quartet, which is made up of the United States, the
United Nations, the European Union and Russia.
In Paris, France's Foreign Minister denounced the use of force by both
sides saying the crisis could only be solved through a political dialogue.
Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he still believed it was
possible to restart the stalled peace process, and pointed to the
announcement Tuesday of a Palestinian plan that implicitly recognizes
Israel. He described the plan, hammered out by rival Hamas and Fatah
movements, as a "significant step forward."
In Tokyo, the government said it was reevaluating a trip by Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the Middle East next month, following
reports of the Israeli incursion into Gaza.
The Japanese leader was expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian
territories before attending the G8 summit of industrialized nations in
mid-July in Russia. But the recent spike in violence may alter those
plans, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.
"At this stage, we have not decided on what to do," Abe said. "In any
case, various things occur in this region, so we need to constantly keep
a close watch."
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is
legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
pnews-news - (NEWS) - Send "subscribe" or "unsub"
in subject to pnews-news-request(at)inyourface.info
pnews-views - (VIEWS) - Send "subscribe" or "unsubscribe"
as subject to pnews-views-request(at)inyourface.info
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Everything begins at The Worm Hole: http://pnews.org/
-----
Something Really Nice for
your Honey - http://blackhillsg0ld.com/
Something Really Sexy for Her for Holloween:
http://tinyurl.com/q878y
---------------------------------------------
NEVER pay for a podcast again:
Check it out - http://tinyurl.com/mnr7r
-----