European Parliament chief calls for immediate Middle East ceasefire

European Parliament President Josep Borrell on Tuesday urged European Union (EU) foreign ministers to call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and south Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

"The Council (of foreign ministers) must adopt a clear resolution today calling for an immediate cease-fire by both sides.Anything else will be a failure for the EU," Borrell told an extraordinary Conference of Presidents, which organizes the work of the parliament and its bodies.

The EU foreign ministers are meeting in an extraordinary session in Brussels for emergency discussions over the situation in Lebanon.

Borrell's appeal -- a call for an immediate ceasefire at the foreign ministers' meeting -- might prove to be a difficult task as the member states are divided over this issue.

Britain is thought to be in the way as London has echoed Washington's position that a ceasefire must be "sustainable" and address the root causes of the current crisis. Washington takes Hezbollah and Syria and Iran as the root causes of the violence in the region.

Borrell condemned the Israeli air raid on the Lebanese town of Qana on Sunday, a position that defers with both the decision-making EU Council and the executive European Commission.

Borrell said the attack cannot be justified by anything, even Israel's much cited right of self defense.

He said the continuing escalation is "totally out of proportion to original events," in reference to the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah and the following exchange of air attacks.

Borrell called for the European Parliament to play a significant role in voicing public sentiment in Europe. "We have to make the Council (of foreign ministers) listen to the voice of the people," he said.

Borrell also called for an intervention force in the region as the "escalation had been dramatic and tragic."

Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, who chairs Tuesday's foreign ministers' meeting, told the Conference of Presidents that the credibility of the EU is at test in the current situation.

"In Lebanon, the EU is the only trusted actor in Lebanon," he said. "This is therefore a crucial situation for the credibility of the (European) Union, which must respond to the expectations of the people and the international community. Otherwise any attempt at a common foreign policy will be doomed to failure."

He said the proposed draft council conclusions does indeed contain an appeal for an immediate ceasefire and a cessation of hostilities.

"In the light of events, our position must be clear," he said.

There is also need for a broader political agreement to prepare for the deployment of a U.N.-mandated international force in south Lebanon, he said.

EU commissioner for external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, called the recent escalation "unjustifiable," and demanded an immediate halt of violence.

She said the 48-hour suspension of air raid announced by Israel has been violated by both sides of the conflict.

Despite the pledge, Israel has not stopped striking south Lebanon and decided on Monday to expand its ground operations there.

Ferrero-Waldner also urged EU member states to speak with a " united voice" at Tuesday's foreign ministers's meeting.

Source: Xinhua