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Lebanese PM in U.S.: Peace Cannot Live With Israeli Occupation
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| Hariri told
Bush that the U.S. has a big responsibility in the push for
Middle East peace
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WASHINGTON,
April 18 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – The Lebanese Prime
Minister, Rafiq Hariri, who met with U.S. President George W. Bush
Wednesday, April 17 in order to address recent clashes along Lebanon's
southern border with Israel, pointed out that peace in the region was
impossible unless Israeli occupation ended.
Hariri
told Bush that the U.S. has a big responsibility to work for peace in
the Middle East.
"I
believe strongly that the United States has to work hard to achieve
peace in the Middle East and we believe also that peace cannot be
achieved unless there is an independent Palestinian state,"
Hariri said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning
America" show Tuesday, April 16, stressing that this was the
message he would deliver to Bush during their meeting.
"I
will tell him that the United States has a very important
responsibility to work for stability, security and peace in the Middle
East. What has happened in the recent two weeks brings us to square
zero."
"Trying
to solve the problem through military or through security methods only
will lead to nowhere," he added, news agencies reported.
He
also criticized the tendency of focusing only on Israeli deaths versus
all civilian deaths, which are over 90% Palestinian civilians killed
by Israelis.
"For
the victims who are going to die, does it make any difference for them
if they died through a suicide bomber or through [Israeli]
tanks?," asked Hariri, adding that more than 500 civilians had
been massacred during Israel's invasion of the Jenin refugee camp.
"All
of this is wrong. If you really want peace, peace cannot live with
occupation. We have to give the Palestinians an independent state and
hold them responsible," he added.
Before
attending the scheduled meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq
Hariri, U.S. President George W. Bush addressed graduates of the
George C. Marshall ROTC Award at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI)
Wednesday regarding the war on terrorism.
At
VMI, giving the commencement address to future U.S. military
personnel, Bush, referring to the “war on terrorism” reiterated
"either they are with us or against us."
"In
the days just after September the 11th, I told the American people
that this would be a different war, fought on many fronts…In every
case, we will defeat the threats against our country and the civilized
world," Bush stated.
In
a continued attempt to rally failing international support for the
war, Bush went on to state that the U.S. has made progress and
"secured victories" but that support is still needed. He
also asserted that the war in Afghanistan was far from over.
"The
battles in Afghanistan are not over. American and allied troops are
taking risks today in what we call Operation Mountain Lion - hunting
down the al Qa'eda and Taliban forces, and keeping them on the
run…we expect cells of trained killers to try to regroup, to murder,
create mayhem and try to undermine Afghanistan's efforts to build a
lasting peace.”
Bush
also went on to address the current crisis in the illegally occupied
Palestinian territories, addressing, in a rare statement, the
accountability of both Israelis and the Palestinians.
"Every
leader, every state must choose between two separate paths: the path
of peace or the path of terror. In the stricken faces of mothers,
Palestinian mothers and Israeli mothers, the entire world is
witnessing the agonizing cost of this conflict. Now, every nation and
every leader in the region must work to end terror…
"The
Palestinian Authority must act, must act on its words of condemnation
against terror. Israel must continue its withdrawals,” Bush
stressed.
Israel
has repeatedly ignored U.S. calls for an immediate withdrawal from
West Bank towns it invaded almost two weeks ago, in which reports from
the region state the overwhelming majority of casualties included
hundreds of Palestinian civilians.
Bush
also asserted that all Arab states "must step up to their
responsibilities."
"And
all parties must realize that the only vision for a long-term solution
is for two states - Israel, Palestine - to live side by side in
security and in peace. That will require hard choices and leadership
by Israelis, Palestinians, and their Arab neighbors. The time is now
for all to make the choice for peace," he went on to state.
Bush
also went on to allude for calls to action against Iraq as he widens
the U.S. war, sticking to his claim that Iraq may have amassed weapons
of mass destruction, despite weapons inspectors' statements to the
contrary.
"America
will take the necessary action to oppose emerging threats," Bush
concluded.
The
U.S. has so far spent USD10 billion on its so-called “war on
terror”.
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