dimanche 30 juillet 2006

Same story, two reports

Two reports on the cancellation of Condoleeza Rice's "diplomatic" visit to Lebanon.

The domestic spin, from the New York Times:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday she is ''deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life'' from Israel's attack on a Lebanese village, but she held firm to the internationally unpopular position that a quick cease-fire won't solve the crisis.

Israel's early morning missile strike sparked protests in Beirut and forced Rice to cancel an expected visit Sunday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. She planned to remain in Jerusalem instead, where she said she had work to do to end the fighting.


The international coveage, this one from Australia:

LEBANON told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today it could not meet with her before a ceasefire ends a 19-day-old Israeli offensive.
Lebanese officials said Dr Rice, who was due in Beirut later in the day, was told of the Lebanese position after an Israeli air strike killed at least 51 civilians in southern Lebanon.
They said Dr Rice's visit to Beirut had been cancelled.


Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora denounced the deadly raids as a "war crime", vowing there was no place for talks until Israel ceased its attacks.

"There is no place on this sad morning for any discussion other than an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as well as an international investigation into the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now," Mr Siniora said at a press conference.

At least 51 people, including 22 children, were killed in blistering raids on the village of Qana in southern Lebanon, the civil defence chief in the region said today.

The bodies of men, women and children retrieved from under the rubble of dozens of buildings which collapsed after the bombardment, Salam Daher said.

Israel rejected responsibility for civilian deaths in the Lebanese village of Qana Sunday, where at least 51 people were killed in Israeli air strikes, saying Hezbollah was to blame.

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