LONDON, July 25: Fourteen NGOs, including Amnesty International and Oxfam, urged British Prime Minister Tony Blair to call for an ‘immediate ceasefire’ at the Rome international conference on Wednesday on the Middle East conflict.
Failure to do so ‘risks putting civilian lives at continued risk rather than helping to protect them’, the non-governmental organisations — comprising aid agencies, human rights groups, trade unions, voluntary groups and international security analysts — said in an open letter.
Britain, along with the United States, has not called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, claiming any ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon would need to be durable and properly observed on both sides.
The NGOs said they were concerned “that the British government has yet to use its full influence to bring about an immediate ceasefire, a lasting end to the hostilities, and full compliance with international humanitarian law.
“By failing to back the United Nations and call for an immediate ceasefire, the UK government has reduced the impact of international calls for an immediate halt to the violence.
“As such, your current policy risks putting civilian lives at continued risk rather than helping to protect them.
“We have not yet heard a compelling argument as to why you will not call for an immediate ceasefire to save lives now — and create space for negotiations over a final settlement.
“The present policy looks in danger of placing the UK government in the uncomfortable position of only calling for a ceasefire once one side in the conflict has achieved its military objectives.”
Representatives from 18 countries and organisations are expected at the Rome conference, including UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
“We urge you to use Wednesday’s ministerial meeting in Rome to add the British government’s weight to calls for an immediate ceasefire,” the NGOs said.
“To do anything else would be to fail to uphold the UK’s responsibility to help protect the civilians dying in this conflict.
“We urge you to rethink your policy as a matter of urgency and do what you can to reduce the horrific toll that this conflict is having on ordinary people across the region.”
The conflict, sparked on July 12, has cost nearly 400 lives in Lebanon and more than 40 in Israel.
The letter was signed by directors from Amnesty International UK, BASIC, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Medact, the Muslim Council of Britain, Oxfam, Save the Children, UNISON, War on Want, the Welfare Association and World Vision UK.—AFP
