Israel Warns Time Running Out For Truce
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warned in talks with her French and Belgian counterparts in Paris on Wednesday that time was running out to shore up a tenuous UN-imposed truce between her nation and Hezbollah forces operating out of Lebanon. Following her meetings, the BBC quoted Livni as telling reporters, "Time is working against those who would like to see [UN Security Council Resolution 1701] applied. We are now in a most sensitive and explosive position." Jerusalem fears that failure to deploy the promised 15,000 peacekeepers and enforce the terms of the ceasefire, in particular an arms embargo on Hezbollah, will leave Israel with no choice but to do the job itself, leading to a likely resumption of hostilities with the Lebanese terror group. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan shares those fears, and has roundly criticized Europe for not providing the troops needed to bolster the truce it so enthusiastically pushed for. France especially has been taken to task after initially indicating it would supply significant troop numbers and lead the peacekeeping mission, only later to commit a mere 200 soldiers. Livni was scheduled to travel to Rome Thursday to meet with Italian officials after Italy offered earlier in the week to send up to 3,000 troops to Lebanon and take a leading role in peacekeeping efforts there.
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