Government approves UN resolution
All government ministers, except for former Defense Minister Mofaz, vote in favor of UN resolution. PM Olmert says: 'Hizbullah won't continue to be a state-within-a-state inside Lebanon,' adds that Lebanese gov't will become point of contact for Israel
The government approved in a cabinet meeting Sunday UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a ceasefire in southern Lebanon.
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz abstained in the vote, while all the other ministers voted in favor.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said told reporters following the vote that “we accepts this decision and it is good for Israel. However, this is the Middle East, and decisions are not always implemented here.
“The Lebanese government must effectively deploy its army, which must prevent arms transfers to Hizbullah,” she added.
Most of the ministers said at the conclusion of the meeting that a big question mark was hovering over the resolutions' implementation by Hizbullah. The Lebanese government will be the party responsible for seeing Nasrallah was indeed complying with the resolution's clauses, they said.
Cabinet okays UN resolution. 'Lebanese government to be held responsible' (Photo: Flash 90)
Earlier, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in the cabinet meeting that "UN Security Council resolution 1701 is a good resolution that creates true conditions to implement UNSCR 1559 and prevent a return to the status quo. Hizbullah won't continue to be a state-within-a-state inside Lebanon and the Lebanese government will become the point of contact for the Israeli government."
Defense Minister Amir Peretz asked, during the meeting, to emphasize that "the prime minister's management of the war was excellent and sufficiently aggressive. His collaboration with me was precise.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni joined Olmert and the majority of government ministers in expressing support for the Security Council's resolution. Livni, referring to the 'morning after', said that "the question that we must ask ourselves today is where we were prior to the outbreak of conflict, when UNSCR 1559 had not been implemented, when Lebanese armed forces were not deployed in the south and when there was not an embargo on Hizbullah. No army can implement Security Council resolution demands by military means."
According to Livni, empowerment of Siniora serves Israeli interests. "Empowering Siniora does not conflict with Israeli interests, but rather the contrary."
