Jordan Times
Friday, August 25, 2006
Greek FM meets with
King, says Resolution 1701 'not perfect’
By Khalid Neimat with agency dispatches
AMMAN — Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni on Thursday said UN Security
Council Resolution 1701, which outlined a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah
fighters, was not “perfect”, but stressed the need for its implementation.
“Resolution 1701 is not a perfect resolution. It is a compromise resolution but
we have to back it up because it is a first step forward,” Bakoyianni told
reporters at a press conference, following her meeting with King Abdullah.
Bakoyianni, on a regional tour that has already taken her to Lebanon, held talks
with Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
She called for the speedy deployment of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, saying her
country would take part in the force.
“Greece will participate with a frigate... a helicopter and some special forces
and we believe that this force has to develop in the area as soon as possible,”
Bakoyianni was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying.
After talks in Tel Aviv, Bakoyianni was expected to leave for Brussels to attend
a meeting today of European foreign ministers and the United Nations to hammer
out troop contributions for the Lebanon force, according to AFP.
The deployment of international peacekeepers between Lebanon and Israel is the
keystone in Resolution 1701.
King Abdullah yesterday told Bakoyianni the international community should step
up efforts to find solutions to Middle East conflicts “and ensure that Lebanese
crisis does not reoccur”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Reiterating the need for supporting the Lebanese government, the King said “war
losses were very huge”, which requires more efforts to help end Lebanese
suffering.
The King agreed with the Greek foreign minister that the Palestinian issue is
the core problem in regional conflicts and that peace negotiations should be
revived.
“It is very important that we never forget that the cornerstone of the problems
in the Middle East was, is and will be until a solution, the Palestinian
problem,” she was quoted as saying.
“War can never be an answer to any problem in the Middle East. We need political
solutions we need to try again to put forward the peace process.”
The Palestinian Authority is hoping to submit a plan to the UN General Assembly
to help revive the stalled Middle East peace process, spokesman Nabil Abu
Rudeina said Wednesday after talks between Abbas and Bakoyianni.
Greece will take over the presidency of the UN Security Council on September 1.
Also yesterday, the King held talks with Abbas on Jordan’s efforts to help
resume peace talks.
The King said only dialogue and negotiations would lead to a settlement of the
Palestinians problem, reiterating that unilateral solutions have proved useless.
He added that Jordan supported the Palestinian factional talks to reinforce the
domestic front, according to Petra.