- Title: UNITED STATES: GROUP OF FIVE NATIONS SET UP TO MONITOR LEBANON CEASEFIRE
- Date: 10th May 1996
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (MAY 10, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV LEBANESE CEASEFIRE MONITORING GROUP AT ROUND TABLE TALKS, U.S. DELEGATION MEMBER, DELEGATES 0.27 2. LV ISRAELI AMBASSADOR ITAMAR RABINOVICH ADDRESSING THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE/COMMITTEE LISTENING 0.40 3. MV RABINOVICH SAYING HE WAS CONFIDENT NEGOTIATIONS WOULD R
- Embargoed: 25th May 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAD1BGE8MT7842DSGGPRCGU72A9
- Story Text: - INTRO: Talks on arrangements to monitor a ceasefire in Lebanon are held in the U.S. as Israel says peace negotiations will continue with renewed vigour after the Israeli elections.
------------------------------------------------- The United States (U.S.) and four other countries met on Friday (May 10) to create a group to monitor the Lebanon ceasefire, but the U.S. State Department said the group adjourned without settling all the issues.
U.S. Middle East envoy, Dennis Ross, met the Washington ambassadors of Israel, Lebanon, Syria and France at the State department.
The proposed monitoring group would aim to prevent a repeat of last month's heavy fighting between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon.
The group was foreseen in the April 27 truce negotiated by U.S.
Secretary of State Warren Christopher, whose shuttle diplomacy ended a 17-day Israeli blitz in south Lebanon aimed at stopping Hizbollah rocket fire into Israel.
A statement released after the meeting quoted Ross as saying Friday's three-hour meeting "was conducted in a constructive atmosphere." "All the parties emphasised their desire to put together an effective monitoring group and all came prepared to discuss issues in a very practical way," the statement said.
Earlier, Syrian envoy Walid al-Mualem said there were differences over the structure of the group. Syria and Lebanon want it to focus on military aspects of the ceasefire, while Israel and the U.S. want the political and economic dimensions included.
Mualem also said Syria wanted the group to be based in Naqoura, on the Lebanese-Israeli border. Other reports have spoken of Cyprus as a possible site.
Israeli Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich also said there were several issues to be "sorted out." Earlier in the day Rabinovich and Ross addressed an American Jewish Committee meeting in Washington and both expressed sincere optimism at the future of the peace process.
Rabinovich said he was confident that after the Israeli elections at the end of May, when conditions "will be ripe again for resumption of negotiations," talks would renew with a "very promising start." Ross said he saw potential "to move ahead and close the circle of peace" and to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
National Security Advisor Anthony Lake, also addressing the American Jewish Committee, said the aim of terrorist attacks in the Middle East was not only to kill people, but to kill the peace process as well, adding "we must not let them do that."
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