Lack of international condemnation 'reprehensible', says Ahern
It is reprehensible that world leaders quibble over the wording of statements while innocent civilians die in the Israeli-Lebanon offensive, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said tonight.
The minister was speaking after the deadliest single incident in the 19-day offensive.
Early yesterday, Israeli aircraft attacked Qana in southern Lebanon, killing at least 52 people including 30 children.
Mr Ahern strongly criticised meetings between international leaders in recent days where they discussed statements rather than taking action to stop the hostilities.
He said tonight: “It is fairly reprehensible that the Rome conference could not come out with one voice and condemn outright the hostilities.
“This day, a fortnight ago in Brussels, what we needed was action, not words, we were discussing statements, just words, while people were being killed.
“It was easy enough to forecast that unfortunately we would have events like we had yesterday.”
Mr Ahern said the Irish Government had always taken a strong line in relation to the conflict and he hoped yesterday’s tragic incident would bring other countries to their senses.
He added: “I can’t say I’m confident but we do get the sense very strongly from our partners in the UN and EU that we do seem to be coming to a convergence of views, that the sooner a ceasefire takes place the better.
“Even countries like Britain and the US seem to be coming around to this view - whether it can convince Israel of this is another matter as Israel has strong suspicions that Hezbollah will continue to bomb into Israel.”
The Louth TD warned that the 19-day offensive could escalate into something bigger if mishandled by the international community.
“Who knows? This is only part of a very large patchwork. This is something that if it isn’t handled properly and quickly, it could end up into a fairly difficult period for the world.”
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