Rice plans Middle East trip next week BEIRUT: The French foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, arrived in Lebanon on Friday to seek to mediate in the Israel-Lebanon crisis, his office said. Douste-Blazy warned Friday that the escalating conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah could lead to a catastrophe. The situation has significantly deteriorated and there is an urgent need to help civilians, he said at a joint press conference after meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Sallukh. The spiral of violence can only lead to a catastrophe, he said. The ministry said Douste-Blazy, who announced his departure earlier Thursday, would visit Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Israel. France is gravely concerned by the continuing violence between Israel and Lebanon, he told journalists following a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, dominated by the conflict. On Monday Douste-Blazy accompanied Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to Beirut in a show of France s support for Lebanon, which has been a target of deadly Israeli attacks for more than a week now. He said France condemned the strikes, while calling on Hezbollah to free their captives and halt rocket attacks on Israel. France has western Europe s largest Muslim population, about 5 million people, and has historic ties to Lebanon. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said during a visit to Paris on Thursday that an international force would be the best solution for Lebanon. We cannot tolerate Israel s playing with the lives of citizens, civilians, women, the elderly and children, he said after meeting with French President Jacques Chirac. Chirac, who has developed close ties with the Arab world during his 11-year tenure, was to meet with Saad Hariri, son of slain ex-Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, in Paris on Friday to discuss the violence U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, meanwhile, plans to go to the Middle East as early as next week to press for a political solution to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, her spokesman said on Thursday. The trip also will aim to address the root causes and bring about a strategic change, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. Rice s plans for a visit to the region had been announced but there had been no indication when she would travel. She wants to go to the region when she believes it s helpful and useful to help work on a lasting and durable political solution to end the violence, said McCormack. A Western diplomatic source said Rice was likely to go first to Egypt for talks with Arab foreign ministers, followed by a visit to Jerusalem to meet Israeli officials. The list of Arab participants was likely to include Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. McCormack said Arab governments such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia would play an important role in talking to Damascus, which supports Hezbollah. Rice is set to go on to Malaysia on July 27-28 for meetings with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. She could return to the Middle East after her Asian meetings but this depended on conditions on the ground. On Thursday, Hezbollah fought Israeli troops on the Lebanese border, as thousands more foreigners fled the 9-day-old war in Lebanon, including 1,000 Americans evacuated by U.S. Marines. The United States appears increasingly isolated in refusing to pressure Israel, its top Middle East ally, for a cease-fire in a war that has killed hundreds of civilians, mainly in Lebanon. Unlike the United Nations and key European allies that want a cease-fire as soon as possible, the United States stresses the need for what it calls a durable solution to the crisis before any cease-fire can be implemented. Otherwise, U.S. officials say, the potential for conflict would always be present despite a temporary halt in violence. We want an end to the violence but we want an end to the violence in such a way that it not only addresses the current situation but so that you don t end up in the same place six months from now, McCormack said. Later on Thursday, Rice is set to go to New York to discuss the Middle East crisis over dinner with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution commending President George W. Bush for supporting Israel, condemning Hezbollah and Hamas, and holding Syria and Iran accountable for their support of those organizations. The Senate unanimously passed a similar resolution on Tuesday. Agencies
