President Jacques Chirac of France characterized the statement issued here as a call for a cease-fire — a word the Bush administration has sidestepped at every turn over the last few days. The host of the summit meeting, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, told reporters that “we do get the impression that the aims of Israel go beyond just recovering their kidnapped soldiers.’’
Talking to reporters here on Sunday evening, R. Nicholas Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, acknowledged that the statement does not present any specific order for steps to solve the crisis; rather, he said, it presumes that Israel will stand down only after Hezbollah and Hamas stop shelling Israeli towns and release captured soldiers.
That’s right — absolutely nothing.
Aren’t the Italians supposed to be negotiating on behalf of Israel? That’s what Bloomberg was reporting – also that Villepin proposed a UN-monitored ceasefire but the Americans said no (what, let the French-Masonic-UN-new-world-order win?)
SP, I thought the Italians were using their good trade contacts in Syria and Iran to convey messages to put pressure on Hizbullah. I’m not certain about Iran, but they’re definitely quite close to Syria on several levels.