ST. PETERSBURG, 17 July 2006 — Leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrial nations yesterday called for a Middle East cease-fire.
“The G-8 has asked for a cease-fire. All of us called for a cease-fire in Lebanon and Gaza,” said French President Jacques Chirac after leaders of G-8 nations had crisis talks on the worsening Mideast situation.
Chirac said the primary G-8 concern was to stop the escalation of violence and acts of aggression.
The G-8 states are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US.
The two-page G-8 statement called on “extremists” to immediately halt their attacks.
But leaders also underlined that it was “critical that Israel, while exercising the right to defend itself, be mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions.”
G-8 leaders told Israel to “refrain from acts that would destabilize the Lebanese government” and to avoid civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
The summit said the “most urgent priority is to create conditions for the cessation of violence that will be sustainable and lay the foundation for a more permanent solution.”
G-8 countries set out four conditions which must be met by all sides in their statement: The return of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon unharmed; an end to the shelling of Israeli territory; an end to Israeli military operations and the early withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza; the release of arrested Palestinian ministers and parliamentarians.
President Chirac highlighted references in the statement calling on Lebanon to “assert its sovereign authority over all its territory.” “The Lebanese must realize that there is no state which can exist or survive if it does not control its territory,” said Chirac.
Without naming Hezbollah, which is based in southern Lebanon, Chirac said that any group which challenged the central Beirut government had to be seen as “a factor of destabilization and insecurity.”
Chirac said events of the past days were the classic Mideast “vicious circle of provocation and repression.”
The French leader said this was illustrated by the “grave disproportionate nature of Israel’s provoked response.” Diplomats said G-8 leaders had debated the Mideast issue — and the wording of the final text — for over four hours. No aides were present during the discussion.
The rapidly worsening Middle East crisis dominated yesterday’s G-8 summit in the northern Russian city of St. Petersburg.
President Bush held separate talks on the spiraling violence with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chirac.
Other global flash points under G-8 review included Iran, North Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. Putin presented a report on fighting international terrorism.
In other business, the summit agreed new energy guidelines in reaction to volatile oil prices and rising global energy demand.
A 12-page nonbinding statement called for measures to ensure transparent, open and competitive energy markets.
Significantly Russia, which provides 25 percent of Western Europe’s natural gas supplies, signed up to the deal. Moscow had initially voiced reservations about committing itself to opening up its energy sector state monopolies which are a mainstay of the Russian economy.
