Britain calls for restraint in West Asia

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, APRIL. 19. Britain has expressed concern over the renewed confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians and called upon the two sides to end the ``vicious cycle of attack and reprisal''.

The British Foreign Secretary, Mr. Robin Cook who spoke to Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday told them to return to the negotiating table saying he saw no early prospect of return to serious negotiations unless both sides demonstrated restraint. In a strongly-worded statement, Mr. Cook described the situation in West Asia as ``grim'' and urged the international community to press for restraint and resumption of peace talks. He said he told the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr. Shimon Peres that the Israeli response to the mortar attacks from across the border was ``excessive and disproportionate''.

``I stressed to Mr. Peres that we had been encouraged by the distinction that the Sharon Government had made in its early days between action against those who practise violence and measures that hurt innocent people. I was therefore disappointed and concerned by the demolition of houses in Gaza over the past week which could only create even greater hostility among the civilian population...I urged the Government of Israel to reflect on where they wanted to be three months from now and not only to calculate a day-to-day response,'' Mr. Cook said.

He was equally blunt with the Palestinian foreign spokesman, Mr. Nabil Sha'ath and told him that mortar attacks on Israel must stop. He regretted that such attacks had resumed despite the Israeli withdrawal from the positions they had occupied in Gaza. ``I stressed that having helped persuade Israel to withdraw from Gaza, the international community now looked to the Palestinian Authority to take every possible step to halt the mortar attacks.''

Mr. Cook also spoke to the Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr. Faruq al- Sharaa and urged Syria to use its influence to prevent further rocket attacks by the Hizbollah against Israeli troops. He welcomed the ``restrained Syrian response'' to the Israeli attack on the Syrian radar site. Mr. Cook said Britain was ready to help the two sides return to talks emphasising that Israeli and Palestinian people and their neighbours could gain real security only through negotiations leading to a ``just basis'' for peaceful co-existence.

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Section  : International
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