not surprised by hezbollah's rejection but am surprised that somebody from an humanitarian group finally called it right.
BEN LYNFIELD, SUE PLEMING AND HUSSEIN DAKROUB
Ceasefire proposals by Condoleezza Rice were rejected by Hezbollah Rice met with Nabih Berri, Hezbollah's de facto negotiator US has pledged to contribute ?16m in humanitarian aid Key quote "the situation on the border cannot return to what it was before 12 July" - Condoleezza Rice
Story in full HEZBOLLAH yesterday dismissed proposals for a ceasefire in Lebanon from the United States secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, after she made a surprise stop in Beirut on her way to Israel.
The move came as Jan Egeland, the United Nations humanitarian chief, accused Hezbollah of "cowardly blending" among Lebanese civilians and causing the deaths of hundreds during two weeks of cross-border violence with Israel. Earlier Mr Egeland, describing this as "the hour of greatest need for the Lebanese people" appealed for ?81 million in humanitarian aid.
Ms Rice made the ceasefire proposals in a meeting with Hezbollah's de facto negotiator, the Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri. She also met the Lebanese prime minister, Fouad Siniora, after arriving in the strife-torn city by helicopter from Cyprus on the 13th day of fighting triggered by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers during a cross-border raid.
"Thank you for your courage and steadfastness," she told Mr Siniora, who has repeatedly pleaded for an immediate ceasefire. Mr Siniora told Ms Rice that Israel's bombardment was taking his country "backwards 50 years" and also called for a "swift ceasefire".
A Hezbollah cabinet member denounced Ms Rice's proposals, saying she came to force Lebanese into "submission" or else face more fighting.
The labour minister, Tarrad Hamadeh, claimed: "What Rice carried was merely conditions to cover a new round of fighting and a new round of war."
An official close to Mr Berri said his talks with Ms Rice had failed to reach an agreement because Ms Rice "insisted on one full package to end the fighting".
The package included a ceasefire, simultaneous with the deployment of the Lebanese army and an international force in south Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah weapons from a buffer zone extending 25 miles from the Israeli border - roughly the line of the Litani River - said the official.
Mr Berri rejected the package, proposing instead a two-phased plan. First would come a ceasefire and negotiations for a prisoner swap. Then an inter-Lebanese dialogue would work out a solution to the situation in south Lebanon, said the official.
The US has insisted no ceasefire can take place without a solution to what it calls the root cause of the violence - Hezbollah's domination of south Lebanon along the Israeli border. Israel has rejected any halt in the fighting until the two soldiers are freed and the guerrillas are forced back. Ms Rice had told Mr Berri that "the situation on the border cannot return to what it was before 12 July", a Lebanese political source said. The source added: "The tone of the meeting was very negative."
Before the meeting with Mr Berri, Ms Rice had said she was "deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they are enduring".
Following Mr Egeland's UN appeal for further humanitarian aid, Hilary Benn, the UK's International Development Secretary, last night announced an additional ?2.2 million to bring the total UK aid package to ?5 million, with more promised "if necessary". The US is contributing ?16 million to the fund.
Last night, speaking from Cyprus, Mr Egeland, said: "Hezbollah must stop this cowardly blending ... among women and children." The militant group has built bunkers and tunnels near the Israeli border to shelter weapons and fighters and its members easily blend in among civilians.
Israelis, meanwhile, were relishing the absence of US pressure to stop the offensive. Sima Kadmon, wrote in Yediot Ahronoth, a leading Israeli daily newspaper: "Condoleezza Rice is not coming to pressure Israel to cease the fire. On the contrary. She's coming to check for herself that we are not missing out on this war, that we are not missing a chance to be the long arm of the United States."
Israel's defence minister, Amir Peretz, said the army's mission now was to create the conditions for a diplomatic settlement "that will bring quiet for many years and that does not emanate from weakness but rather from recognition by the entire world that the state of Israel is strong".
Ms Rice was to meet the foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, last night and the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, today. Arriving in Israel last night, she told reporters: "Every peace has to be based on enduring principles and not on temporary solutions."
At least seven Lebanese were killed and 50 wounded by Israeli air raids in southern Lebanon yesterday, while Hezbollah fired more than 80 rockets into northern Israel, with two people seriously wounded in Maalot. Some 377 Lebanese, the overwhelming majority civilians, and 39 Israeli soldiers and civilians have died during the fighting.
Two Israeli pilots were killed when their Apache helicopter crashed after a technical mishap en route to Lebanon, the army said, and last night they confirmed that two Israeli soldiers were killed and 20 others were wounded in fierce fighting centred on Bint Jbail in southern Lebanon, the biggest town closest to the border.
Five Israeli soldiers were wounded by friendly fire from Israeli aircraft, the army said. Another eight were wounded by Hezbollah fire. Israel said its troops had captured two Hezbollah guerrillas, the first it had taken in the conflict.
The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said he hoped to give details of a ceasefire plan in the next few days, adding that violence "has to stop on both sides and it is not going to stop on both sides unless a plan is in place that makes it stop". He added: "What is occurring in Lebanon is a catastrophe."
Yossi Alpher, former director of the Jaffee Centre for Strategic Studies, near Tel Aviv, said Ms Rice "will try to co- ordinate how long the fighting will last and what objectives can be obtained and to lay the groundwork for an international force and any UN resolutions".
After initially opposing the idea of an international force, Mr Olmert has said he will support a force in southern Lebanon composed of NATO countries and Egyptian and Jordanian troops.
Ms Rice is also due to meet the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss Israel's offensive in Gaza, which began almost a month ago.
BEN LYNFIELD, SUE PLEMING AND HUSSEIN DAKROUB
Ceasefire proposals by Condoleezza Rice were rejected by Hezbollah Rice met with Nabih Berri, Hezbollah's de facto negotiator US has pledged to contribute ?16m in humanitarian aid Key quote "the situation on the border cannot return to what it was before 12 July" - Condoleezza Rice
Story in full HEZBOLLAH yesterday dismissed proposals for a ceasefire in Lebanon from the United States secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, after she made a surprise stop in Beirut on her way to Israel.
The move came as Jan Egeland, the United Nations humanitarian chief, accused Hezbollah of "cowardly blending" among Lebanese civilians and causing the deaths of hundreds during two weeks of cross-border violence with Israel. Earlier Mr Egeland, describing this as "the hour of greatest need for the Lebanese people" appealed for ?81 million in humanitarian aid.
Ms Rice made the ceasefire proposals in a meeting with Hezbollah's de facto negotiator, the Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri. She also met the Lebanese prime minister, Fouad Siniora, after arriving in the strife-torn city by helicopter from Cyprus on the 13th day of fighting triggered by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers during a cross-border raid.
"Thank you for your courage and steadfastness," she told Mr Siniora, who has repeatedly pleaded for an immediate ceasefire. Mr Siniora told Ms Rice that Israel's bombardment was taking his country "backwards 50 years" and also called for a "swift ceasefire".
A Hezbollah cabinet member denounced Ms Rice's proposals, saying she came to force Lebanese into "submission" or else face more fighting.
The labour minister, Tarrad Hamadeh, claimed: "What Rice carried was merely conditions to cover a new round of fighting and a new round of war."
An official close to Mr Berri said his talks with Ms Rice had failed to reach an agreement because Ms Rice "insisted on one full package to end the fighting".
The package included a ceasefire, simultaneous with the deployment of the Lebanese army and an international force in south Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah weapons from a buffer zone extending 25 miles from the Israeli border - roughly the line of the Litani River - said the official.
Mr Berri rejected the package, proposing instead a two-phased plan. First would come a ceasefire and negotiations for a prisoner swap. Then an inter-Lebanese dialogue would work out a solution to the situation in south Lebanon, said the official.
The US has insisted no ceasefire can take place without a solution to what it calls the root cause of the violence - Hezbollah's domination of south Lebanon along the Israeli border. Israel has rejected any halt in the fighting until the two soldiers are freed and the guerrillas are forced back. Ms Rice had told Mr Berri that "the situation on the border cannot return to what it was before 12 July", a Lebanese political source said. The source added: "The tone of the meeting was very negative."
Before the meeting with Mr Berri, Ms Rice had said she was "deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they are enduring".
Following Mr Egeland's UN appeal for further humanitarian aid, Hilary Benn, the UK's International Development Secretary, last night announced an additional ?2.2 million to bring the total UK aid package to ?5 million, with more promised "if necessary". The US is contributing ?16 million to the fund.
Last night, speaking from Cyprus, Mr Egeland, said: "Hezbollah must stop this cowardly blending ... among women and children." The militant group has built bunkers and tunnels near the Israeli border to shelter weapons and fighters and its members easily blend in among civilians.
Israelis, meanwhile, were relishing the absence of US pressure to stop the offensive. Sima Kadmon, wrote in Yediot Ahronoth, a leading Israeli daily newspaper: "Condoleezza Rice is not coming to pressure Israel to cease the fire. On the contrary. She's coming to check for herself that we are not missing out on this war, that we are not missing a chance to be the long arm of the United States."
Israel's defence minister, Amir Peretz, said the army's mission now was to create the conditions for a diplomatic settlement "that will bring quiet for many years and that does not emanate from weakness but rather from recognition by the entire world that the state of Israel is strong".
Ms Rice was to meet the foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, last night and the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, today. Arriving in Israel last night, she told reporters: "Every peace has to be based on enduring principles and not on temporary solutions."
At least seven Lebanese were killed and 50 wounded by Israeli air raids in southern Lebanon yesterday, while Hezbollah fired more than 80 rockets into northern Israel, with two people seriously wounded in Maalot. Some 377 Lebanese, the overwhelming majority civilians, and 39 Israeli soldiers and civilians have died during the fighting.
Two Israeli pilots were killed when their Apache helicopter crashed after a technical mishap en route to Lebanon, the army said, and last night they confirmed that two Israeli soldiers were killed and 20 others were wounded in fierce fighting centred on Bint Jbail in southern Lebanon, the biggest town closest to the border.
Five Israeli soldiers were wounded by friendly fire from Israeli aircraft, the army said. Another eight were wounded by Hezbollah fire. Israel said its troops had captured two Hezbollah guerrillas, the first it had taken in the conflict.
The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said he hoped to give details of a ceasefire plan in the next few days, adding that violence "has to stop on both sides and it is not going to stop on both sides unless a plan is in place that makes it stop". He added: "What is occurring in Lebanon is a catastrophe."
Yossi Alpher, former director of the Jaffee Centre for Strategic Studies, near Tel Aviv, said Ms Rice "will try to co- ordinate how long the fighting will last and what objectives can be obtained and to lay the groundwork for an international force and any UN resolutions".
After initially opposing the idea of an international force, Mr Olmert has said he will support a force in southern Lebanon composed of NATO countries and Egyptian and Jordanian troops.
Ms Rice is also due to meet the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss Israel's offensive in Gaza, which began almost a month ago.
