CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak has urged his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush to support an unconditional and immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, the official MENA news agency said Thursday. In a message sent to the U.S. leader on Wednesday, Mubarak reviewed the dangerous situation in Lebanon and its consequences on the situation in the Middle East and asked the United States to take rapid action for an immediate, total and unconditional ceasefire, MENA said. The call by Washington s top Arab ally came as the United States and France were trying to iron out differences on the issue of a ceasefire and drafting a resolution to be presented to the United Nations Security Council in the coming days. Israel launched a massive air, sea and land campaign against Lebanon that has killed hundreds of people, following the July 12 capture of two of its soldiers by the Shiite militia Hezbollah. Hezbollah has responded by hailing rockets onto Israel, and the region has been plunged into one of its worst crises in years.
France, backed by fellow members of the European Union, has been pressing for an immediate cessation of fighting followed by a permanent ceasefire and a political deal that will involve disarming Hezbollah. Only then would an international military force be deployed to help the Lebanese army gain effective control over southern Lebanon and prevent future Hezbollah attacks on Israel. The U.S. has insisted all the elements be intertwined and that a ceasefire cannot be ordered until the achievement of a political agreement involving Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel. Bush has so far said that Washington was urgently working towards restoring calm to the Middle East but has resisted calls for an immediate ceasefire. AFP
