Sunday, July 30, 2006

CAN ISRAEL NOW IGNORE ANY UN RESOLUTION ON IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE?

Haaretz is reporting that yesterday France distributed a draft resolution to all fifteen members of the Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force. If this is passed can Israel ignore it, considering it is citing UNSC Resolution 1559 to defend its actions?

And if it does ignore it, what then?

From http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/744083.html

France presents UN draft resolution calling for immediate ceasefire

France has drawn up a draft UN Security Council resolution that would call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Israel and Lebanon and prepare for the deployment of an international force.

The document, distributed to the 15 Security Council members on Saturday, anticipates a draft resolution the United States is planning that would place up to 20,000 peacekeepers along Lebanon's borders with Israel and with Syria.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will preside over a meeting of possible troop contributors to such a force, which would include the 25-member European Union, which has expressed interest, as well as Turkey and nations now contributing to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

Chirac, whose country has emerged as the potential leader of the force, has said troops could not be sent until there was a cease-fire accompanied by a political deal.

In many respects, the French draft is similar to proposals the United States and Annan have been discussing, except that it calls for an immediate end to the fighting. The United States alone has refused to back such calls, arguing that conditions first had to be ripe for a sustainable cease-fire
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