Rice Terms Developments “Positive Step”

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the news that Hezbollah politicians had agreed to a Lebanese preliminary ceasefire package a "Positive step". Rice, en route to the Middle East to present an American sponsored proposal, also praised the Lebanese Prime Minister for getting even such a preliminary proposal agreed to.

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday welcomed as a "positive step" the agreement by Hezbollah cabinet members to seek an immediate cease-fire that would include the disarming of militias.

Speaking to reporters en route to Jerusalem, Rice also praised Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora for persuading Hezbollah to agree.

Rice was to hold talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem on Saturday night on a United Nations resolution aimed at ending conflict in Lebanon.

Olmert, meanwhile, met with Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz for consultations Saturday, Israel Radio reported.

U.S. President George W. Bush said Friday that Rice would return to the region with a cease-fire proposal package to present to Israel and Lebanon.

Rice will also hold talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who has been pleading for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The conflict began on July 12, when Hezbollah guerillas in southern Lebanon carried out a cross-border raid on Israel Defense Forces soldiers patrolling the frontier, kidnapping two and killing eight others.

U.S. officials said much diplomatic work remained and it was unclear whether a UN resolution would be ready by Monday.

Key elements under discussion include a prisoner exchange, creating an international force and disarming Hezbollah.

Speaking at joint press conference in Washington with British Prime Minister Tony Blair after the two met on the two-week long conflict, the president said that Rice would be charged with working with Beirut and Jerusalem to come up with an acceptable UN resolution.

"Her instructions are to work with Israel and Lebanon to come up with an acceptable UN Security Council resolution that we can table next week," Bush said.

The president also stressed the need for an international force to be deployed in Lebanon to assist the Lebanese army in efforts to regain control of the southern part of the country, where Hezbollah has been the dominant military presence since the IDF withdrew from the area in May 2000.

"We agree that a to augment the Lebanese army as it moves the south of that country. An effective multinational force will help speed delivery of humanitarian relief," Bush said.

Complicating things at the moment are a couple of troublesome items: European governments are unwilling to send troops and Israel does not want the UN involved in any peacekeeping force. That Europe is standing back and refusing to assist in the situation is not a good sign. I have maintained all along that the UN has proven itself unable to deal with Hezbollah (except when their forces accept bribes to help Hezbollah) and should not be included in any multi-national force. Kind of a sticky situation.