You have commented 358 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Bush phones Siniora on UN resolution
2006-08-13
CRAWFORD - President George W. Bush told Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Saturday that he hopes a new UN resolution will dismantle what he called Hezbollah’s ‘state within a state’ in southern Lebanon. White House National Security spokesman Frederick Jones said Bush called Siniora and the two spoke for eight minutes about he resolution ‘and their common efforts to bring about a cessation of hostilities.’

It was the second time Bush had spoken to Siniora since the crisis erupted July 12. In the weeks after their July 14 conversation, Siniora repeatedly called for an immediate cease-fire but Bush resisted, saying the root causes of the conflict—namely Hezbollah’s influence—had to be addressed.

‘The president stressed the need to dismantle Hezbollah’s state within a state in order to build Lebanese democracy,’ Jones said. ‘He expressed his view that Iran and Syria were arming Hezbollah in order to exert unwanted influence over Lebanon.’
That suggests that Dubya understands very well what's happening there, and the resolution is the best he can do right now with the weak hand played by Olmert.
Posted by:Steve White

#8  #7 Gaza strip II.
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-08-13 15:34  

#7  Orrin Judd thinks the best way to handle this is to create a new, sovereign Shi'a state in south Lebanon. Split it off from Lebanon proper, and the rest of the country can organize itself with Sunnis, Maronites and Druze each with a piece of the government. Judd thinks that if the Shi'a have their own state, with a defined border with Israel, that the Hezbies will be SOL.
Posted by: Steve White   2006-08-13 14:37  

#6  I think a lot of this push for Leb legitimacy is coming from the Saudis and the Egyptians. They want the Shiite crescent strangled in its crib.
Posted by: Remoteman   2006-08-13 11:59  

#5  George, the exporter of democracy to mad dogs.
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-08-13 06:05  

#4  Personally I think Bush gave up on the idea of Olmert doing anything meaningful so he took the next best way out.
Posted by: gorb   2006-08-13 03:47  

#3  Am I the only one rather puzzled by the near-desperate desire on the part of Bush to favor the Leb "government" with legitimacy?

That Leb is still a Syrian and Iranian stooge is obvious. The people of Leb may, or may not, be stupid enough to believe otherwise or believe that this farce hasn't been complicit in the Hezbollah BS from day one.

In my generous moments I tend to believe that many Lebs aren't happy with that fact, that they actually thought they were going to be "free" of Syria and become a real country again, but their blind inculcated hatred for Israel and Jooos makes it a distinction without a difference in practice.

As always, such blind hate negates any sympathy for their dilemma.
Posted by: flyover   2006-08-13 03:39  

#2  How long before Olmert goes away?
Posted by: gorb   2006-08-13 02:22  

#1  Hello, Cry Baby? Yes, this is George Bush.
Posted by: Captain America   2006-08-13 01:09  

00:00