PES President backs U.N. intervention in Middle East conflict 

18 July 2006

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, President of the Party of European Socialists,
called  for a U.N. intervention in the Middle East "to ensure an
immediate ceasefire and to protect civilians on all sides from further
attacks."

Calling on the EU and the international community to do its "utmost to
put the spiral of violence to an immediate end" in the  Middle  East,
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen said "We need a U.N. intervention now to ensure the
survival of civilians and to protect the states of Lebanon and Israel."

While calling for the "immediate and unconditional release" of all
kidnapped Israeli soldiers the PES President also stated "I condemn the
disproportionate use of of force against civilians by the Israeli
military" and criticised the widespread destruction of Lebanese civilian
infrastucture as a "tragedy for the efforts of the Lebanese  people to
achieve a free and independent state".

"It is hard to understand how the bombing of Beirut will stop rocket
attacks from southern Lebanon. The excessive violence of the Israeli
actions ,  in response to the totally unacceptable rocket attacks on
Israel, will serve only to incite even worse atrocities from Hezbollah
and other extremist groups.  Those countries that are fuelling the
conflict are only adding to the suffering of the Palestinian and
Lebanese peoples."

"The region is entering a rapidly escalating spiral of violence which
must be put to an immediate end" said Rasmussen. "I call for restraint
on all sides and a much more active intervention from the international
community to bring about an immediate  ceasefire. I  strongly support
the idea of an international force to maintain peace on the ground."

While international attention is focussed on Lebanon, the PES remains
concerned that Israeli military operations in Gaza are still continuing,
and that the Israeli army has now occupied in force some West Bank
towns.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Julian Scola, Press Officer, Party of European
Socialists, , mobile 0486 117 394