UNITED NATIONS, July 30: Strongly condemning Israeli attacks on Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Sunday to immediately demand an end to hostilities in the region.
“For the sake of the people of the region and of this organisation I urge you to act, and to act now,” he pleaded.
He told the session “very clearly and briefly, the authority and standing of this council are at stake.”
Mr Annan said the council risked undermining its own authority if it did not take action.
That was made clear by the attacks on UN headquarters in Beirut earlier on Sunday, he said.
“People have noticed its failure to act firmly and quickly during this crisis,” Mr Annan said.
“We meet at a moment of extreme gravity first and foremost for the people of the Middle East but also for the authority of this organisation and especially this council,” he said.
“Action is needed now before many more children, women and men become casualties of a conflict over which they have no control,” he said.
Mr Annan said: “No one disputes Israel’s right to defend itself. But by its manner of doing so it has caused, and is causing, death and suffering on a wholly unacceptable scale.”
Lebanese special envoy Nouhad Mahoud lambasted Israel for committing war crimes and the Security Council for its inaction.
“Israel is committing atrocities against humanity,” he said. “The fact that such massacres are yet ... to be taken up by resolutions of this august council — that fact does not mean that the truth is to remain hidden,” he said.
Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman called it a “horrible, sad and bloody Sunday”.
While he apologised for the airstrike that killed civilians in Qana, he said there was no comparison between Hezbollah, which intentionally targeted Israeli civilians and used Lebanese civilians as human shields, and Israel, which tried to avoid civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, the United States remained firm in its rejection of an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Undersecretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns emphasised that the US was interested in a sustainable ceasefire that would not allow Hezbollah to continue to threaten Israel.
UN Security Council President Ambassador Jean Marie Sabliere told correspondents that France condemned the Israeli attacks and expressed hope that other members of the council would also do the same.
A draft resolution circulated by the French mission to the UN among UNSC members on Saturday called for an immediate halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and sought a wide new buffer zone in south Lebanon monitored by international forces and the Lebanese army.
But diplomats said that it was unlikely that the council could act quickly on the matter, given the strong opposition by the US.
With heavy fighting continuing in southern Lebanon, the UN Interim Force (Unifil) there again protested on Sunday against firing in the vicinity -– which caused material damage and lightly wounded two blue helmets –- with both the Israeli and Lebanese authorities.
A statement issued here said five aerial rockets from the Israeli side impacted five to 20 metres off a Unifil position Addaisseh area on Saturday afternoon. One exploded in the air above the position and two Unifil soldiers from the Indian battalion were moderately wounded and evacuated to the Unifil hospital in Ibil Assaqy, the mission said.
In another incident, one artillery round from the Israeli side impacted directly inside the Unifil position in Mays Al Jabal on Saturday night, causing extensive damage and the collapse of the ammunition shelter.
“Early morning, two Israeli Defence Force soldiers removed and dragged away the protective concertina wire around the Unifil position in the Marun Al Ras area,” it said.
It was reported that Hezbollah fired rockets from the vicinity of three UN positions in the areas of Tibnin, At Tiri and Brashit. It also fired from small arms from the vicinity of UN positions in Alma Ash Shab and Al Duhayyra areas.
Since the outbreak of hostilities, four UN military observers as well as one Unifil international staff member and his wife have been killed and four Ghanaian and three Indian soldiers and one UN military observer wounded as a result of firing.
Unifil dispatched five logistic convoys to re-supply UN positions with water and fuel. After a number of attempts, Unifil also succeeded to re-supply the position in the Marun Al Ras area.
The search operation for the body of a military observer in Khiyam remained suspended as Unifil was unable to reach the position and bring heavy engineering equipment to remove the debris due to the exchanges of fire in the area.
