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Rome's conference fails to reach anticipated truce in Lebanon
 (KUNA) -- The international conference on the Lebanon-Israel crisis, held here Wednesday, failed to reach the anticipated agreement for an immediate truce to block the continuous Israeli aggression against Lebanon. After two hours of delay, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema announced the conclusion of the conference with a mere agreement to continue efforts toward reaching a ceasefire. D'Alema said in a press conference following the meeting that he anticipated an immediate truce as several participants insisted; however, he questioned the viability of such a demand.D'Alema stressed that participants shared willingness to collectively work toward reaching an urgent ceasefire. He said an attempt for a truce required pressuring all of the conflicting parties, noting that the conference started pressuring Israel by demanding it to respect civil establishments and preserve civilian lives. D'Alema said that holding the conference has been a crucial achievement by itself due to the high level of international participation, noting that the main purpose of the conference was to express solidarity with Lebanon. D'Alema averred that participant would continue working together toward an initiative that would include all direct and indirect parties of the conflict. Speaking at the news conference, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice affirmed the participants' willingness to urgently end violence in the Middle East. The Italian deputy premier and foreign minister stressed that the anticipated truce should be permanent, complete and able to endure. The conference's final communique called on Israel for self-restraint, welcoming Tel Aviv's decision to secure humanitarian corridors and allow flights to land at Rafiq Hariri Airport for humanitarian purposes. The final communique also expressed the international community's deep concerns regarding the dramatic situation in Lebanon and violence in the Middle East, pledging to provide urgent humanitarian aid and to discuss practical steps to establish a free and independent Lebanon with sovereignty over its lands. Posted by: Fred 2006-07-27 |
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