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War in Lebanon - insiders discuss what really happened
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Edward Stourton uncovers what really happened during the Israeli-Lebanon
conflict last year in The Summer War In Lebanon on 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4.
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Hundreds of civilians were killed and thousands were made homeless during
the wave of bombings in Lebanon and rocket attacks on Northern Israel last
year.
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Ed Stourton has spent the last six months talking to the key
players for the two-part programme at 8.02pm
on Tuesday 3 and 10 April
2007.
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Stourton asks if the United States deliberately gave Israel the diplomatic space to
continue a war.
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"What's wrong with that?" says John Bolton, then US
Ambassador to the United Nations.
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From the Israeli camp, Danny Ayalon, former Israeli
Ambassador in Washington adds: "I do not recall anybody exercising or
asking us to exercise caution."
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Several of the key players interviewed claim that many Arab leaders
wanted Israel to 'finish the job'.
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Terje Roed Larsen, UN Special Envoy, says: "There were many not - how should I put
it - resistant to the thought that the Israelis should thoroughly defeat
Hezbollah, who... increasingly by Arab states were seen as an Iranian
proxy."
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The then US Ambassador says explains his attitude to calls for a ceasefire
at the start of the conflict.
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John Bolton: "Look, it's just in the water in New York to call for a
ceasefire without regard to the political consequences. I thought that
was dangerous and misguided. I thought it then and I think it now."
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Ed Stourton presses Bolton on the stance of the US: "You know the
criticism that was made of the American position at that time which was
essentially that you were simply letting the Israelis have their head to
achieve their aims their aims and that's why you wouldn't call for a
ceasefire. Was there any truth in that?"
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John Bolton: "What was wrong with that?"
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Ed Stourton: "That was the American position?"
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John Bolton: "Well they had been attacked. They were responding."
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Ed Stourton: "Your former UN colleague the Syrian Ambassador said to us
that America was deliberately frustrating diplomatic attempts during those
last two weeks of July precisely so Israel could have its head. From
what you just said that's a fair analysis of what was happening."
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John Bolton: "I was damn proud of what we did."
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Ed Stourton: "So it is a fair analysis of what happened."
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John Bolton: "I
think it's a fair analysis that we felt that Israel was entitled to
exercise the right of self defence..."
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The investigation also reveals the growing animosity between the Secretary
General of the United Nations and the US.
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"He was an interested
bystander," says John Bolton."He commented but I don't think he had any
major diplomatic effect on the outcome."
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There was also a stand up row
between France's Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice.
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"How do you know that?" asks FM Philippe Douste-Blazy. "It was
behind closed doors."
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Also, in the programme, the UN's Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Jan Egeland calls for the Israelis to be held accountable for attacks on civilian
areas in Lebanon.
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He says: "What I saw is, yes, Israel clearly disproportionately
hit civilian targets, civilian infrastructure, which is in violation of
humanitarian law, so yes somebody should be held accountable."
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Written and Presented by Ed Stourton.
Produced by Mark Savage.
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The Summer War In Lebanon,
91Èȱ¬ Radio 4,
8.02pm Tuesday 3 and 10 April
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PR
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