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Prime Minister Stephen Harper wanted to leave his mark on the world stage at this week’s Francophonie summit, and Friday morning he did just that.

Harper angered Lebanon and an assortment of other Arab, Muslim and French-speaking states in a meeting to draft a political declaration on this summer’s war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Canada’s rookie prime minister vetoed an amendment to a statement that said the 53-member organization “deplored” the effect of the month-long conflict on the Lebanese civilians it endangered. The amendment was brought forward by the Egyptian delegation and backed by “a majority” of countries at the table, according to French President Jacques Chirac.

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Harper blocks Lebanon resolution

This is disturbing that so many countries never mentioned the civilian deaths in Isreal. It should be recognized in the history books for what it was:

Lebanese terrorists attacked a soverign nation and while Isreal overreacted, it has to be said that those terrorists ARE the culprits in starting this offensive, and we can't blame any one group or government for the events that followed. Lay the blame where it should lie; both doorsteps.

[ 29 September 2006: Message edited by: Tiff ]

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In the end, the 72 members of la Francophonie unanimously supported a compromise proposed by the French delegation.

The majority of countries supported the Egyptian resolution but "Canada was opposed and we had to try to find a solution that wouldn't force anyone to lose face," said French President Jacques Chirac.

The text of the final resolution "calls for a cessation of hostilities and a return to calm in Lebanon."

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[ 29 September 2006: Message edited by: Frustrated Mess ]

I must admit you have an amazing vocabulary. Is there any other verbs you actually know other than f**k??

You know this is my country too. And for one I am happy we have finally a principled PM.

Best regards

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Originally posted by Contrarian:
Harper has no principles. His election campaign promised to stand up for Canadians; and when Canadians were murdered in Lebanon by the IDF, he sided with the murderers. He constantly sucks up to the war criminal George Bush, dictator of the former democracy to the south of us. When will Harper try to destroy our right to habeus corpus as the Chimp has done in the US?

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care to read up??

The few Canadian victims of Hizbulla-Israel war were collateral damage, no matter how tragic. If IDF intentionally tried to target civilians there would be no survivors south of Litani river.

You may also read up on laws of war wherein it clearly states that soldiers hiding among civilians (as Hizbullah did) is in itself a war crime.

And if you hate Israel so much why don't you just join Hezzies and give it a shot? It's not like the truce will last forever anyways.

Best regards

Andy

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Originally posted by Andy12489:

Harper's stance on Israel cost him some popular support - principle is defined (among other definitions) to stick to one's opinions in face of adversity. Can you imagine Martin or Chretien or Clinton to actualy do that?
Me neither.

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[ 01 October 2006: Message edited by: Il Morto Qui Parla ]

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Originally posted by Andy12489:
PS Harper's stance on Israel cost him some popular support - principle is defined (among other definitions) to stick to one's opinions in face of adversity. Can you imagine Martin or Chretien or Clinton to actualy do that?
Me neither.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Andy12489:
Contrarian,

care to read up??...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Andy12489:
...The few Canadian victims of Hizbulla-Israel war were collateral damage, no matter how tragic. If IDF intentionally tried to target civilians there would be no survivors south of Litani river.

You may also read up on laws of war wherein it clearly states that soldiers hiding among civilians (as Hizbullah did) is in itself a war crime...

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Read up this link right here:

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...More than 850 Lebanese were killed during the conflict, most of them civilians. The human rights group Amnesty International has accused Israel of war crimes, including indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian targets...

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And this at this link:

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... “Main roads, bridges and petrol stations were blown to bits. Entire families were killed in airstrikes on their homes or in their vehicles while fleeing the aerial assaults on their villages. Scores lay buried beneath the rubble of their houses for weeks, as the Red Cross and other rescue workers were prevented from accessing the areas by continuing Israeli strikes.”...

...Citing a variety of sources, the Amnesty International report said Israel’s air force had carried out more than 7,000 air attacks, while the navy had fired 2,500 shells. The human toll, according to Lebanese government statistics, was estimated at 1,183 deaths, mostly civilians, about a third of them children; 4,054 wounded; and 970,000 people displaced, out of a population of a little under four million.

“Statements from the Israeli military officials seem to confirm that the destruction of the infrastructure was indeed a goal of the military campaign,” the report said. It said that “in village after village the pattern was similar: the streets, especially main streets, were scarred with artillery craters along their length. In some cases, cluster bomb impacts were identified.”...

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Originally posted by Andy12489:
...And if you hate Israel so much why don't you just join Hezzies and give it a shot? It's not like the truce will last forever anyways...

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ETA testimony of some survivors of Qana:
link here

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..."There were no Hezbollah rockets fired from here," 32-year-old Ali Abdel told IPS. "Anyone in this village will tell you this, because it is the truth."...

...Qana had been a shelter because no rockets were being fired from there, survivors said. "When Hezbollah fires their rockets, everyone runs away because they know an Israeli bombardment will come soon," Abdel said. "That is why everyone stayed in the shelter and nearby homes, because we all thought we'd be all right since there were no Hezbollah fighters in Qana."

Lebanese Red Cross workers in the nearby coastal city of Tyre told IPS that there was no basis for Israeli claims that Hezbollah had launched rockets from Qana...

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[ 01 October 2006: Message edited by: Contrarian ]

Well, I'm not going to support those foolish notions. I have an education and it has taught me to look at all sides of an issue before making the stupid judgemental statement that the IDF were totally at fault. Any person with half a brain would tell you the Lebanese terrorists started that war and they got in way over their head. After their failure at making any military objectives they cried to the uneducated, idiotic, socialist morons who would actually believe for one moment that their was only one culprit, international community, who immediately jumped on board to the lies and deceit of terrorists!

Not once did I notice in all the previous posts did ANYONE mention the Isreali casualties. Un-fucking-real!

lol

[ 02 October 2006: Message edited by: Tiff ]

The philosophy I'm getting from here is that we should blame the bully and not the actual person who committed the murders!

lol

As well, to just blame one race is actually racist in itself. Did I just call someone a racist? I guess yes if you have the notion that Isreal is only to blame, then yes you are racist.

So our Prime Minister put those la Faccaphone racist bastards in their place!

[ 02 October 2006: Message edited by: Tiff ]

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Lebanese terrorists attacked a soverign nation and while Isreal overreacted, it has to be said that those terrorists ARE the culprits in starting this offensive, and we can't blame any one group or government for the events that followed. Lay the blame where it should lie; both doorsteps.

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I assume you are talking about the captured soldiers. If they were captured in Israel as Israel says (would you expect them to say otherwise, no matter what the truth is?) then you could say Israel was attacked. Of course, just as predictably, Hezbollah claims they were captured in Lebanon, which, if true, makes Israel the one who was attacking Lebanon. The funny thing is that the Lebanese police force, with no ties to Hezbollah, agrees with Hezbollah's version. Unless you can think of some motive for them to be lying, it seems likely they're telling the truth.

But all this talk about who "started it" is pointless (as well as childish). For one thing everyone's responsible for their own actions no matter who started what, but more importantly, everybody on both sides knew there would be another invasion, and that all that was required was a pretext. Hezbollah was prepared for it, and so was Israel. Soldiers had been captured before and their release had been negotiated before. It was nothing new in the ongoing conflict between the IDF and Hezbollah for years, nor is it anything extraordinary in conflict in general. But on this occasion, the Israeli high command figured the time was right, so instead of negotiating, they invaded. They just plucked one incident out of the business as usual and used it as an excuse.

So I do lay it at Israel's doorstep. All Hezbollah ever wanted was Israeli troops off Lebanese soil. In response to this outrageous demand, Israel fought hard to maintain control of the little piece of Lebanon that they still occupied, and invaded Lebanon once again when they felt they were ready. Hezbollah defended their country.

Hezbollah also shelled Israel and killed civilians doing so, which wasn't necessary and was criminal, but I don't have to like Hezbollah or their tactics to state the obvious: It IS Israel's fault (or more specifically, the leadership of Israel). The war WAS their doing. They WERE the agressor. All they have to do is stay the hell out of Lebanon and they'll never have to hear from Hezbollah again. So they question is, why can't they? Why can't they just stop attacking people and occupying other countries? Why do they run around crying "poor me" every time they attack somebody and, heaven forfend, actually sustain some casualties? And why, oh why do people like you fall for it?

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if you blame the bully who beat up little Johnny at school, yet it was little Johnny who pulled the trigger and killed that bully and his jock friends. So the philosophy I'm getting from here is that we should blame the bully and not the actual person who committed the murders!

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You're saying if someone provokes someone and the person responds with wildly disproportionate force, they should be accountable for their actions. It sounds to me like you are criticising Israel here, and that's even accepting the notion that Israel was provoked at all which is highly dubious, as I said.

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As well, to just blame one race is actually racist in itself. Did I just call someone a racist? I guess yes if you have the notion that Isreal is only to blame, then yes you are racist.

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Why can't they just stop attacking people and occupying other countries?

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Are you kidding? You really beleive that statement? Isreal is attacking other countries and occupying THEIR land? You make me laugh!!!!

Didn't you know that their is a history all about a land called Judea yet their is absolutely NO history of a land called Palistine! The Romans named that land, took it from the Jews and gave it to Jordanian, Syrian, Egyptian and Saudi Arabian decendants and called them Palistinians! Ever since the Roman times the Arabic nations in that region have been encroaching on Jewish land, not the other way around! Get your history straight first and then and only then will I ever respond to such idiotic notions of an imperalist Isreal!

lol

[ 02 October 2006: Message edited by: Tiff ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Andy12489:
Contrarian,

care to read up??

...And if you hate Israel so much why don't you just join Hezzies and give it a shot? It's not like the truce will last forever anyways.

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Well, that's enough out of Andy90210 or whatever.

OK, he's rebanned....geeeze!

And such a pithy little commentary about the sophistication of his historical analysis as it relates to the mid-east situation got wasted.