Olmert vows to take "most severe measures" against Hezbollah
25/7/2006 17:11
Israel is determined to keep on its fight against Hezbollah and will not
hesitate to take the " most severe measures" against those firing rockets on
Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday.
"We are using the basic
right of self-defense," Olmert told reporters before a meeting with visiting US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was on a visit to the Middle East
region to defuse the escalating crisis in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
The
prime minister said that he noticed "humanitarian difficulties" caused by
Israel's two-week military offensive in Lebanon, pledging to work with the US to
help solve it.
Rice again expressed the need to create conditions for a
sustainable cease-fire.
She will also meet with Defense Minister Amir Peretz
before going to Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian National Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas.
On Monday night, Rice met with Israeli Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni upon arriving in Jerusalem from Beirut, underlining the
importance to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.
"We are concerned
about the humanitarian situation," she said. "And nobody wants to see when
innocent civilians are harmed."
"Any peace is going to have to be based on
enduring principles and not on temporary solutions," said Rice.
Describing
Rice's visit as "very important", Livni reiterated that Israel had the right to
protect its citizens.
Livni said that Israel would only agree to a cease-fire
that included the release of two soldiers that Hezbollah kidnapped on July 12,
the dismantling of Hezbollah and the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern
Lebanon.
Rice arrived in Jerusalem on Monday night after she paid a surprise
visit to Beirut for talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Xinhua news
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