Hell's yes!!! > -----Original Message----- > From: Chesty Puller [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 9:23 AM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: comments? > > > I just got back last night from a week-long cruise, so if my > comments have > already been addressed, please excuse me. > > He's wrong, dead wrong. A goal of permanent and sustainable > solution is the > only thing that will let the warring stop (by definition). Any > cease fire > starts another cycle of small hostility leading to an ever > greater hostility > and then of course, this happens, again. His own words say this, > although > he suggests that a ten-year cease fire is a solution. A total absence of > hostility is the only way to get this problem resolved. > > The problem with the immediate crease-fire is that it removes all > pressure > from the parties to actually negotiate. > > Personally, from watching all of this on CNN-international all week (the > only channel on the ship TV), I hope this is the time that Israel > destroys > Hezbollah and rains Hell down upon Lebanon. For too long, factions like > this have been mosquitoes flying around biting on Israel and the US and > everybody else desiring peace. > > It's time that the general population is punished for allowing > these types > of groups to co-exist. All of our "touchy-feely don't hurt > anybody" types > of defense doesn't work, it hasn't worked since the Vietnam war. > Only when > the population who must actually co-exist with these groups gets tired of > war will they cease to exist. That has't happened because we've > prevented > Israel from doing the needful. > > My take: Israel should invade and destroy Lebanon, incur the > wrath of Syria, > and then let Syria have war as never before. The only way out of > this mess > is to go forward, beyond all hope of retreating back into the > sinkhole that > is a cease-fire. > > - Matt > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dana" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "CF-Community" <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 2:24 AM > Subject: comments? > > > > Time To Act > > > > By Warren Christopher > > Friday, July 28, 2006; Page A25 > > > > Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's just-concluded trip to Lebanon, > > Israel and Rome was an exercise in grace, bravery and, to my regret, > > wrongly > > focused diplomacy. Especially disappointing is the fact that > she resisted > > all suggestions that the first order of business should be > negotiation of > > an > > immediate cease-fire between the warring parties. > > > > In the course of her trip, the secretary repeatedly insisted that any > > cease-fire be tied to a "permanent" and "sustainable" solution > to the root > > causes of the conflict. Such a solution is achievable, if at all, only > > after > > protracted negotiations involving multiple parties. In the meantime, > > civilians will continue to die, precious infrastructure will > continue to > > be > > destroyed and the fragile Lebanese democracy will continue to erode. > > ** > > Save & Share > > > > - *Tag This Article* <javascript:void(0);> > > > > > > Saving options > > *1. Save to description:* > > Headline (required) > > Byline > > > > *2. Save to notes (255 character max):* > > Blurb > > > > 3. Tag This Article > > <http://del.icio.us/> > > > > My own experience in the region underlies my belief that in the > short term > > we should focus our efforts on stopping the killing. Twice > during my four > > years as secretary of state we faced situations similar to the one that > > confronts us today. Twice, at the request of the Israelis, we > helped bring > > the bloodshed to an end. > > > > In June 1993, Israel responded to Hezbollah rocket attacks along its > > northern border by launching Operation Accountability, resulting in the > > expulsion of 250,000 civilians from the southern part of Lebanon. > > > > After the Israeli bombardment had continued for several days, Israeli > > Prime > > Minister Yitzhak Rabin asked me to use my contacts in Syria to > seek their > > help in containing the hostilities. I contacted Foreign Minister Farouk > > Shara, who, of course, consulted with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. > > After > > several days of urgent negotiations, an agreement was reached > committing > > the > > parties to stop targeting one another's civilian populations. We never > > knew > > exactly what the Syrians did, but clearly Hezbollah responded to their > > direction. > > > > In April 1996, when Hezbollah again launched rocket attacks on Israel's > > northern border, the Israelis countered with Operation Grapes of Wrath, > > sending 400,000 Lebanese fleeing from southern Lebanon. Errant Israeli > > bombs > > hit a U.N. refugee camp at Cana in southern Lebanon, killing about 100 > > civilians and bringing the wrath of international public > opinion down upon > > Israel. > > > > This time Shimon Peres, who had become prime minister after the > > assassination of Rabin, sought our help. In response, we launched an > > eight-day shuttle to Damascus, Beirut and Jerusalem that produced a > > written > > agreement bringing the hostilities to an end. Weeks later, the parties > > agreed to a border monitoring group consisting of Israel, > Syria, Lebanon, > > France and the United States. Until three weeks ago, that agreement had > > succeeded for 10 years in preventing a wholesale resumption of > > hostilities. > > > > What do these episodes teach us? > > > > First, as in 1996, an immediate cease-fire must take priority, with > > negotiations on longer-term arrangements to follow. Achieving a > cease-fire > > will be difficult enough without overloading the initial > negotiations with > > a > > search for permanent solutions. > > > > Second, if a cease-fire is the goal, the United States has an > > indispensable > > role to play. A succession of Israeli leaders has turned to us, > and only > > us, > > when they have concluded that retaliation for Hezbollah attacks > has become > > counterproductive. Israel plainly trusts no one else to negotiate on its > > behalf and will accept no settlement in which we are not deeply > involved. > > Further, based upon my experience in helping bring an end to > the fighting > > in > > the Balkans, the Europeans are unlikely to participate in a > multinational > > enforcement action until the United States commits to putting its own > > troops > > on the ground. > > > > Finally, Syria may well be a critical participant in any cease-fire > > arrangement, just as it was in 1993 and 1996. Although Syria no > longer has > > troops in Lebanon, Hezbollah's supply routes pass through the heart of > > Syria, and some Hezbollah leaders may reside in Damascus, giving the > > Syrians > > more leverage over Hezbollah's actions than any other country save Iran. > > Syria has invited a direct dialogue with the United States, and > although > > our > > relations with Syria have seriously deteriorated in recent > years (we have > > not had an ambassador in Damascus for more than a year), we do not have > > the > > luxury of continuing to treat it with diplomatic disdain. As the > > situations > > with North Korea and Iran confirm, refusing to speak with those > we dislike > > is a recipe for frustration and failure. > > > > Because Hezbollah has positioned itself as the "David" in this > war, every > > day that the killing continues burnishes its reputation within the Arab > > world. Every day that more of the Lebanese infrastructure is turned to > > dust, > > Beirut's fragile democracy becomes weaker, both in its ability > to function > > and in the eyes of its people. > > > > The impact is not limited to Lebanon or Israel. Every day America gives > > the > > green light to further Israeli violence, our already tattered reputation > > sinks even lower. The reluctance of our closest allies in the > Middle East > > even to receive Secretary Rice this week in their capitals > attests to this > > fact. > > > > It is time for the United States to step forward with the authority and > > balance that this moment requires. > > > > *The writer was secretary of state from 1993 to 1997.* > > > > > > > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/27/AR2006072701 420.html > > > > -- > "People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a > confession > of their character." - Ralph Waldo Emerson > > >
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