Source: http://www.un.int/usa/06_175.htm http://www.un.int/usa/06_175.htm
Date: July 19, 2006

USUN PRESS RELEASE #  175(06)   
July 19, 2006 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
Remarks by Ambassador John R. Bolton, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, on the situation in the Middle East, at the Security Council Stakeout, July 19, 2006 
Reporter: Have you seen the French proposals from last night?

Ambassador Bolton: We have, and we are certainly going to take a look at them. I have said, I think from the beginning of the week, that it would be appropriate to consider the Council taking some action after the briefing at the end of the week by the Secretary General or his team. Our understanding, as of this morning, is that all or part of the team was denied entry to Syria, and therefore they are on their way back. I would like to find out more about the circumstances there but given that the Secretary General will brief the Council probably tomorrow morning certainly at that stage it would be appropriate to consider some kind of action in the Council.

Reporter: You think those elements would be a good starting point?

Ambassador Bolton: Well we’re still taking a look at them, our guidance consists of the statement of the G8 leaders, plus I think the central element there is to build on this situation to advance the objectives of Resolution 1559 and help get the authority of the government of Lebanon fully extended over its territory. That will be a central objective of our efforts.

Reporter: Is it time for the Security Council to call for a ceasefire?

Ambassador Bolton: I think Secretary Rice addressed that question yesterday. Any ceasefire is going to have to be accompanied by a qualitative change in the situation, the simple reflexive action of asking for a ceasefire is not something that is really appropriate in a situation like this, because among other things, you have to know the who the parties would be to any cessation of hostilities. How do you get a ceasefire with a terrorist organization? I’m not sure anyone has done that before and I’m not sure it’s possible.

Reporter: We understand you met the Lebanese Ambassador to the United Nations this morning. Have you discussed with him sending new and international troops to Southern Lebanon?

Ambassador Bolton: We had a very wide-ranging discussion this morning. I felt that it was important to get the views of the government of Lebanon as close as we could to the briefing by the Secretary General tomorrow and we’re each going to consider and perhaps talk further later in the day, which I think would be very helpful. But our objective is to make sure we strengthen the democracy of Lebanon, strengthen the government of Lebanon, and try and achieve that basic 1559 objective of getting the government of Lebanon in a position where it can extend its sovereign authority over its full territory; to disarm the Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias that operate as cancerous states within states.

Reporter: Will Secretary Rice attend the Secretary General briefing tomorrow?

Ambassador Bolton: Well the tentative plan is that she would be meeting with the Secretary General later in the day, but this is all very tentative and the Secretary General’s briefing is now scheduled I think for tomorrow morning.

Reporter: Do you agree with the contents of the French paper? Can you say fairly that the United States is fully with that paper?

Ambassador Bolton: To the extent that the paper reflects the G8 paper, obviously we are in agreement with it, how exactly it was intended as a discussion paper, and we welcome the fact they circulated it and we will be talking to them about it. The situation is evolving day by day and I think it’s important that we get the briefing tomorrow and then we will see, number 1 what the appropriate vehicle and number 2, what the appropriate timing is.

Reporter: The problem with Syria seems to revolve around Terje Roed Larsen and given he is the representative for the implementation of 1559, what does that say about the prospects of achieving the implementation of 1559?

Ambassador Bolton: We’ve heard a variety of different things and I have seen reported in the press this morning that Syria denied entry to Mr. Roed Larsen specifically, so I will pose that as a question to the Secretary General tomorrow to make sure we get the full facts or to Mr. Larsen as well I suppose.

Reporter: Can you tell us what the status is of the Iran P5 negotiations plus Germany?

Ambassador Bolton: We’re going to meet again this afternoon and hopefully everyone will have instructions. I know what my instructions are, which is to try and get that resolution passed this week so I’ll be working on that. Let me just take one more.

Reporter: A lot of Arab diplomats in the hallway here accuse you of blocking any movement towards a ceasefire immediately in Lebanon. What would you answer to that?

Ambassador Bolton: I think I have said consistently, and it the position of my government, that we want to look for what we do after we have the briefing by the Secretary General’s team and now we find we’ll have a briefing by the Secretary General as well. But the notion that you just declare a ceasefire and act as if that is going to solve the problem, I think is simplistic. Among other things, I want somebody to a dress the problem how you get a ceasefire with a terrorist organization? I would like to know when there has been an effective ceasefire between a terrorist organization and a state in the past. This is a different kind of situation and I’m not sure that old thinking, conventional thinking works in case like this, but we’ll see and I’m sure we will have this conversation tomorrow. Now I have to deal with East Timor but I will come back a little bit later.