EU ministers sweat on British agreement to statement

European Union foreign ministers today considered a call for an immediate ceasefire for south Lebanon, working to overcome British reluctance and form a united front.

On the way into the meeting, the EU presidency warned that Israel’s offensive in southern Lebanon would only increase support for Hezbollah militants.

The ministers’ emergency meeting discussed a draft statement saying: “The (EU) Council calls for an immediate ceasefire.”

But Britain has so far agreed with the US position that work is needed to ensure any ceasefire can last, and British foreign secretary Margaret Beckett has said “a call for an end to the violence” should be an element of a long-term peace plan.

All EU ministers have to agree on the statement before it is issued.

If EU ministers adopt the draft, it would further politically isolate Israel and its main ally, the United States, who have insisted that a comprehensive peace plan that would disarm Hezbollah and guarantee the security of Israel’s northern border must be put in place before a ceasefire takes effect.

The ministers want to unite to exert maximum pressure at key diplomatic talks at the UN Security Council in New York, which aim to get a resolution this week calling for a ceasefire, said Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the EU presidency.

The situation was “critical for the credibility of the EU, especially in playing a mediating role with Lebanon,” he said. “The EU is the only actor in which they still have some trust and confidence.”

EU members have five of the 15 members on the Security Council, Britain, and France as permanent members, plus Denmark, Greece and Slovakia.

External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said today that to influence Israel the bloc must have a united position, and added that any solution should include Syria. “Like it or not, they’re an influential player in the region,” said Ferrero-Waldner.

An Israeli airstrike on Sunday that killed dozens in Qana, southern Lebanon, prompted more ceasefire appeals from Europe, which has sought to overcome the US opposition to an immediate truce.

Tuomioja warned before today’s session began that Israel’s offensive in southern Lebanon would only increase support for Hezbollah militants. The offensive was “unlikely to bring military success,” he said. The conflict was instead “certain to increase support for Hezbollah in the region”.

The ministers also are discussing the composition of a possible UN force to stabilise the region.

French defence minister Michele Alliot-Marie said it must be “very large” and be authorised to open fire, according to an interview published in the newspaper Le Monde today.

Alliot-Marie said the force must be well armed, with a specific mission and substantial power, unlike the UN’s existing Unifil force in south Lebanon, the newspaper said. She was quoted as saying UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s troop estimate of 10,000 was too low.

The draft statement also calls for ensuring Israel’s security and Lebanon’s sovereignty, and provides for the participation of the EU in reconstruction efforts and in a possible multi-national peacekeeping force for Lebanon.

It also urges a resumption of negotiations to reach a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, which would include a viable Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.