Reports
July 28, 2006
10 minutes read

Rome’s conference : More killing, destruction and supporting Israel

During the Israeli continuous attack on Palestine and Lebanon, Rome’s conference was held to discuss the Middle East (ME) crisis without any guarantee preventing the Palestinian and Lebanese bloodshed. Some people called this conference a new Saiks Bicko’s conference for redrawing the ME, this was declared by the Secretary of State, Rice, when she explicitly said “I am about to rebuild a new ME” Some explained that the new ME will be free of any resistance to the Zio –American hegemony.

The international conference began in Rome attended by 15 countries and three international organizations to put an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, in addition to discussing the Lebanese human crises. Romano Broudy, the Italian Prime Minister inaugurated the conference, and UN Secretary General (UNSG) Kofi Anan and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were among the attendees. It aims at a cease fire and forming a segregation force in southern Lebanon. The difficulty of negotiating appears in the horizon for the fight is still progressing. The conference will come to its end this afternoon by joint press conference.
The killing of the UN international supervisors, Tuesday night in Lebanon as a result of Israeli’s attack, increased the difficulty of reaching any agreement. The UNSG Kofi Anan said “what happened seems to be deliberate.

The international conferences discussing the Arab issues usually follow the American view. So it made the conference only for supporting the human relief in Lebanon and did not take a real decision for fire cease or prevent the Lebanese and Palestinian bloodshed, but its decisions, like Hezbollah’s disarmament, made for the sake of Israel, . This conference frustrated all hopes because it gave the Israeli forces the green line when it called for the activation of the 1559 decision which aimed at Hezbollah’s disarmament.

Ikhwanweb site polled some experts about Rome’s conference:
Dr. Abdul Mon’em Abu Elfotouh -MB’s Executive Bureau member- “It’s unreasonable to speak about Rome’s conference while USA dominates the Security Council (SC). We should name it as American conference not international conference, and as Rice said “SC has no intention to cease fire now” Abu Elfotouh added that the issue no longer exceeded freeing the two Israeli soldiers to the extent of redrawing the ME by force of weapon, planes and guns – to compel the ME’s countries to accept Israel as a real entity in the ME. Abu Elfotouh commented that it is a state of political stupidity, because no one can create a new ME by weapon, so the American policy calls for more violence in the region which leads to more international terrorism. What the American Administration does is a kind of the country terrorism.
He also stressed that the new American plan will fail, as it happened in Iraq, and the American government follows the same stupid way of Bush, but unfortunately the victims of the Israeli occupation in Lebanon are thousands of civilians and children. Despite the great military power, Israel could not stop the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine, and it did nothing but killing the civilians and destroying the infrastructure and public utilities. Violence and power are not the real ways for change.

Dia’a Rashwan – a political researcher at al Ahram Center for Strategic and political Studies- in an interview with Ikhwanweb said “Rome’s conference did not result in more than what is expected, USA went to the conference with one notion, i.e. giving Israel the opportunity enough to eradicate Hezbollah, which means no cease fire now until Israel fulfills its target. On the other side, the Arab member states were (Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan), and we know their situations toward Hezbollah and statements condemned Hezbollah, as well as the weak Lebanese government.

Rashwan showed that it is a disappointing conference, because it did not take a decision to cease fire, which means reversing the balance of diplomatic powers, and its decisions meant nothing politically or diplomatically. This conference has no formal attribute, and it is an event that will be exaggerated only by media, and will have no influence in fact.
Concerning the future of current situation in Lebanon, Rashwan also said “it is difficult to predict what may take place in the future, especially after the Bint Gibeel’s battle in which the resistance proved its ability to counter the Israeli occupation. Also there are some variables that began to happen in the international and Arab situations, and these depend on the resistance steadfastness. Concerning the new ME that America wants to formulate, he also added “these are American dreams, and the new plan could not be done nowadays, but may be after the end of war and its results in addition to the Regional and Arab reactions.

Amr al Shobaki- a researcher at al Ahram Center for Studies- stated to Ikhwanweb site “Rome’s conference is for public relations and giving up responsibility to appear as an International moving for stopping the bloodshed. Consequently, the outcomes corresponded with the American-Israeli situation based on Hezbollah’s disarmament and postponement of cease fire.
Al Shobaki confirmed that Hezbollah’s ability to resist is the decisive thing. If it manages to face, in addition to a miracle to happen i.e. support from the side of Arabs, the balances in the region will change. Rashwan indicated the American notion concerning the delaying of cease fire at this time saying, it shows American simplified vision that aimed at eradicating Hezbollah during a short term by the help of the Israeli army, so now there is no need for cease fire and no reason to exert pressure on Israel.

Commenting on what Rice said regarding the new ME, al Shobaki stated “it is an old project, the American Administration declared it as the great ME project since four years after September 11 events. New ME’s project means carrying out the International decisions, solving the Israeli-Arab conflict, solving the problem of Golan’s occupation, and other pending problems causing danger within the region.

Al Shobaki confirmed that the American project will be futile for it calls the Arab countries for accepting all American plans without making Israel present any concessions. Israel has not carried out any International decision, so America tries to achieve ME under the Israeli’s dominance. Because of this American futile vision, I think there will not be a new or safe ME.

The important items of the 1559 SC’s decision:
1- It reconfirms its call for respecting Lebanon and protecting its lands, its political independence under the Lebanese Authority exclusively and solely.
2- It demands all foreign forces in Lebanon to withdraw.
3- It calls for the disarmament of all Lebanese and others militias.
4- It demands the Lebanese government to dominate its entire land.
5- It supports carrying out fair and free electoral operation during the coming presidential elections in accordance with the Lebanese constitutional laws without any external intervention.
6- It urgently asks all parties to co-operate with SC in order to implement this decision completely and all other decisions concerning Lebanon unity, its dominance on the land and political independence.
7- It asks the UNSG to present a statement for the UN during thirty days about the implementation of the decision by all parties, and decide how to control over this issue.