|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Jordan: More Israeli strikes could derail peace process
June 27, 1999 AMMAN, Jordan (CNN) -- Jordan's Prime Minister Raouf al-Rawabdeh on Sunday urged Israel's "peace camp" to block more attacks against Lebanon. "The Israeli aggression against Lebanon will strongly affect the peace process," Rawabdeh warned upon returning from a four-day visit to Beirut. "But I think that the peace camp in the world and Arab countries ... and in Israel -- as expressed in the last Israeli elections -- is required now to confront such behavior so that the peace process is back on track," he said in remarks carried by the official Petra news agency. Both Syria and Jordan are banking on Israel's new prime minister to move the peace process forward. Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, who defeated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's general election May 17, will take office in two weeks. Barak stayed out of the spotlight this weekend while Netanyahu -- who ordered the air strikes -- visited people hiding in bomb shelters and faced angry protesters. Barak, who promises to withdraw Israeli troops from Lebanon within a year, had met with Syrian President Hafez Assad just one day before the attacks. Each praised the other's peace intentions.
Barak has until July 8 to form a government. Several small parties already have pledged to join his coalition team. Protesters want to be paid for lossesOn Sunday, residents of northern Israel staged an angry protest over the latest violence, complaining that the government is not compensating them for losses caused by rocket attacks from Lebanon. Israel exchanged fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas this week in the volatile region's worst round of fighting in three years. Thursday's barrage by Hezbollah militants forced people into bomb shelters and out of work, and kept tourists away from the area. The protesters appeared to blame Netanyahu for their plight: The outgoing Israeli leader reportedly ordered the attacks before advising Barak of the decision. Israeli air strikes killed eight people, wounded more than 60 and destroyed power stations, a communications station, bridges and roads. Hezbollah guerrillas, fighting to evict Israeli troops occupying parts of south Lebanon, also fired Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, killing two civilians. Correspondent Jerrold Kessel andReuters contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES: Israel moves tanks to Lebanese border in wake of airstrikes RELATED SITES: Israel/Lebanon Background
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Back to the top |
© 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. |