G8 leaders call for immediate Mideast ceasefire (Roundup)

By Shada Islam and Leon Mangasarian Jul 16, 2006, 22:56 GMT

St Petersburg - Leaders of the G8 industrial nations called Sunday for an immediate Middle East ceasefire after a fifth day of Israeli military strikes on Lebanon and Hezbollah rocket attacks that left eight Israelis dead.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, host of the G8 summit, said that leaders wanted a rapid halt to Middle East bloodshed, adding that Moscow was using its contacts in the region to secure the release of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah militants.

But Putin was sober about the chances for Mideast peace.

'So far efforts to bring about a ceasefire have come to nothing. ... I can't say we can be very optimistic, but I hope reason will prevail,' he said.

French President Jacques Chirac told reporters that the Group of Eight (G8) was calling for an immediate truce between the warring parties.

'All of us called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza,' said Chirac, after G8 leaders held crisis talks on the worsening Mideast situation.

The G8 states are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

The two-page G8 statement called on 'extremists' to immediately halt their attacks.

Leaders underlined that it was 'critical that Israel, while exercising the right to defend itself, be mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions.'

G8 leaders told Israel to 'refrain from acts that would destabilize the Lebanese government' and to avoid civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. They also said the United Nations should study the possible deployment of an international security force in the region.

The summit said the 'most urgent priority is to create conditions for the cessation of violence that will be sustainable and lay the foundation for a more permanent solution.'

G8 countries set out four conditions that must be met by all sides:

- The return of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon unharmed;

- An end to the shelling of Israeli territory;

- An end to Israeli military operations and the early withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza;

- The release of arrested Palestinian ministers and parliamentarians.

Chirac highlighted references in the statement calling on Lebanon to assert its sovereign authority over all its territory.

'The Lebanese must realize that there is no state which can exist or survive if it does not control its territory,' said Chirac.

Without naming Hezbollah, which is based in southern Lebanon, Chirac said that any group that challenged the central Beirut government had to be seen as a factor of destabilization and insecurity.

Chirac said that events of recent days were the classic Mideast 'vicious circle of provocation and repression.'

Diplomats said that G8 leaders, who had earlier given divergent views on the issue, had debated the Mideast issue - and the wording of the final text - for almost four hours.

The rapidly worsening Middle East crisis dominated Sunday's G8 summit in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg.

More than 120 people including children have been killed since Israeli forces started pounding Lebanon five days ago. A Hezbollah missile attack killed eight Israelis Sunday in Haifa.

Other global flashpoints under G8 review include Iran, North Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. Putin presented a report on fighting international terrorism.

The summit produced agreement on new energy guidelines in reaction to volatile oil prices and rising global energy demand.

A 12-page, non-binding statement called for measures to ensure transparent, open and competitive energy markets.

Significantly, Russia, which provides 25 per cent of Western Europe's natural gas supplies, signed up to the deal. Moscow had initially voiced reservations about committing itself to opening up its state monopolies in the energy sector, which is a mainstay of the Russian economy.

The compromise reflects calls by Western energy companies to be allowed to invest in Russian energy markets as well as Moscow's drive to acquire Western energy infrastructure facilities.

The paper admits there is no unity within the G8 over nuclear power.

The US, Russia, Canada, Britain, France and Japan are all intent to continue or expand their reliance on nuclear power. Germany plans to close all its nuclear plants by 2021, and Italy has already done so.