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Rice primed to take the trip when it will be "helpful and necessary."
So, she hasn't packed her makeup yet!..... Elsewhere in Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said any cease-fire in Mideast fighting ought to be based on fundamental changes that could lead to a lasting impact. "We all want a cessation of violence. We all want the protection of civilians. We have to make certain that anything that we do is going to be of lasting value," Rice said. "We all agree that [a cease-fire] should happen as soon as possible, when conditions are conducive to do so. But Rice said there should be a "conducive environment" for a cease-fire. That, she said, would involve implementation of a standing U.N. Security Council resolution and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the borders as well as the introduction of a strong peacekeeping operation. The Council resolution in 2004 led to withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon. But its call for disarming militant guerrillas has not been heeded. Rice, at a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, also indicated she would not be going to the troubled region immediately. She said she was primed to take the trip when it will be "helpful and necessary." Posted by: Sherry 2006-07-18 |
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