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Annan Calls for Restraint in Mideast
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Saturday called on concerned parties in the Middle East to show "the utmost restraint and "rein in their forces and supporters" to give a chance of success to the ongoing efforts for restoring the peace process.
In a statement through his spokesman, Annan also urged the parties to respect relevant Security Council resolutions and humanitarian norms as he was alarmed by the spread of violence from the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories to the Israel-Lebanon border and the Shaba farms area of the Golan Heights.
Annan, who just returned from a trip to Europe, spent the day in intensive contacts with leaders in the Middle East. Seeing the break of "the current circle of violence" and the stopping of the senseless killing as "the most urgent task," he has been working with other statesmen with influence in the region to try to calm the situation, the statement said.
In the U.N. headquarters, the Security Council resumed talks on the worsening situation in the Middle East. After a marathon closed-door meeting since Tuesday, the council eventually entered into a formal meeting which is expected to vote soon on a draft resolution condemning Israel's "excessive use of force" against the Palestinians.
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