By Aluf Benn and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents and New Agencies 30/07/2006
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in the region Saturday night for the start of another round of shuttle diplomacy between Jerusalem and Beirut, aiming to push a diplomatic solution for ending the war in Lebanon.
Defense sources said that in view of Rice`s return to Israel, it appears that for the first time since the start of the war, the "diplomatic clock" is beginning to tick faster.
Rice met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday night in private. She will depart for Lebanon Sunday and will decide following meetings there whether to return to Israel for more talks.
The deal being put forth by Rice is for the deployment in Lebanon of an "international stabilization force" comprising 10,000 to 30,000 troops in return for Israel`s withdrawal from the controversial Shaba Farms, on the western slopes of Mount Hermon.
The international force would assist the Lebanese army to deploy in southern Lebanon and inspect the crossings between Syria and Lebanon, so that no arms will be smuggled to Hezbollah.
Rice did not ask Olmert during their meeting to end the fighting at this stage, but it is assumed at the Defense Ministry that the IDF has 7 to 10 days to continue its operation in Lebanon.
By Wednesday the U.S. would like to gain approval for a new Security Council resolution that will call for an end to hostilities.
Israel sources estimate the U.S. will allow a few more days for mopping up operations by the IDF.
According to the sources, the General Staff has received orders to accelerate its offensive on areas close to the border in order to deepen any possible attack on the Hezbollah before the declaration of a cease-fire.
Sources in Jerusalem said France has agreed to participate in the international force presented by Rice, and that the release of the abducted Israeli soldiers would be part of the deal.
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.
French President Jacques Chirac`s office said in a statement on Saturday that it would not deploy its troops until a cease-fire has been reached. "The agreement between the sides is a precondition for the entry of a multinational force in south Lebanon," read the statement.
Rice thanked Olmert Saturday night for allowing the opening of corridors for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Lebanese civilians.
Prior to the Olmert-Rice meeting, sources in Jerusalem said the Bush administration has asked Israel to be flexible over the issue of a pullout from Shaba Farms, so that the support of the Lebanese government to the deal being formulated can be assured.
However, following the meeting Saturday night, sources in the Prime Minister`s Office said Rice did not present the withdrawal from Shaba Farms as a condition for the support of the government of Lebanon. "Our position is based on the decision of the Security Council that ruled that there is no territorial dispute between us [Lebanon and Israel]," the sources said.
The Bush administration would like to further the Shaba Farms issue as a gesture to Lebanon`s Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, which would be in return for an official Lebanese government request for such a force to be deployed in its territory.
Over the weekend Olmert indicated his willingness to discuss the Shaba Farms issue.
In response to a press question, officials at the Prime Minister`s Office reiterated the view Olmert presented during a meeting with France`s Chirac, during their meeting last month, that Israel will agree to talk about a pullout from Shaba Farms after Security Council resolution 1559 calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah is implemented and following the international recognition of a Syrian declaration that the Shaba Farms are Lebanese territory.
The defense establishment is opposed to the inclusion of Shaba Farms into any diplomatic arrangement for ending the current confrontation, out of concern that this will be interpreted as an achievement by Hezbollah`s leadership. The IDF is not opposed to a pullout on security grounds, but would prefer to see the matter raised under different circumstances and not as part of a cease-fire deal.
The defense establishment is also willing to release the three Lebanese prisoners held in Israel, in return for a return of the abducted soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
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.
At least 483 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Lebanon in the conflict, and 51 Israelis have died.
In addition to an immediate cessation of hostilities, France, in its draft resolution, outlined the following conditions for a permanent cease-fire:
-The release of abducted Israeli soldiers and "settlement of issue" of Lebanese prisoners in Israel.
-Disarmament of all militia in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, and the deployment of the Lebanese army along the Israeli-Lebanese border and throughout the country
-A buffer zone in southern Lebanon between the Israeli border and the Litani River, free of any armed personnel and weapons, except those of the Beirut government`s security forces and UN-mandated international forces.
-Annan, in coordination with regional and international parties, is to help secure agreement in principle from Lebanon and Israel for a political framework on the above cease-fire conditions.
-The UN Interim Force in Lebanon, after fighting has stopped, is to monitor implementation of an agreement and help humanitarian access and the return of the homeless.
-Delineation of international borders in Lebanon, especially the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms area, now part of Syria but claimed by Lebanon. Hizbollah, before the current fighting, has used the Shebaa Farms to justify armed resistance against Israel.
-The Security Council, after confirmation that Lebanon and Israeli have agreed in principle on a political framework for a sustainable cease-fire, should authorize deployment of an international force to support the Lebanese armed forces.
Hezbollah ministers agree to disarm guerillas
Rice welcomed as a "positive step" the agreement by Hezbollah cabinet members to seek an immediate cease-fire that would include the disarming of militias.
In Beirut, Hezbollah politicians signed on to a proposed peace package earlier Saturday that includes strengthening an international force in south Lebanon and disarming the guerrillas, the government said.
The agreement, reached at a cabinet meeting, was the first time Hezbollah had agreed to a proposal for ending the crisis that includes the deploying of international forces.
Speaking to reporters en route to Jerusalem, Rice also praised Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora for persuading Hezbollah to agree.
"The most important thing that this does for the process is that it shows a Lebanese government that is functioning as a Lebanese government," Rice told reporters traveling with her. "That is in and of itself extremely important."
Olmert, meanwhile, met with Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz for consultations Saturday, Israel Radio reported.
Blair: Agreement on peacekeeping force possible within days
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Saturday he believed it was possible to get agreement on a peacekeeping force for Lebanon within days and that this could clear the way for a cease-fire.
Asked if he believed it was possible to get agreement on a multinational force and even a cease-fire within days, Blair told a BBC television interviewer: "I think that it is possible to do that, provided we are clear about the ambitions."
"You won`t get the force actually in [to Lebanon] within a few days but I think you could get agreement in principle to the international stabilization force. You then have to work out the details of it," he said.
"I think you could get a United Nations resolution based on an agreement between the governments of Israel and Lebanon and I think if people can see then a pathway to a proper, stable lasting resolution of the conflict then I think you can get a cease-fire, yes," said Blair, who is in San Francisco during a five-day U.S. visit.
Blair has come under strong criticism in Britain for supporting Bush and refraining from calling for an immediate cease-fire.
He denied in the interview that he was giving a green light to Israel to do what it wanted.
"What is happening in the Lebanon is absolutely terrible for the people there. ... But you`re not going to resolve it unless you can get the cease-fire on both sides," he said.
The conflict began on July 12, when Hezbollah guerillas in southern Lebanon carried out a cross-border raid on Israel Defense Forces soldiers patrolling the frontier, kidnapping two and killing eight others.
