Erkki Tuomioja: ‘Europeans never believed there was a military solution to the conflict in Lebanon... Everyone always seems to think they have to come out in a position where they can declare military victory when in reality everyone has lost'
Israel could be destroying Lebanon while leaving the guerrilla group Hizbullah intact, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said on Thursday. Tuomioja also said it was “Very frustrating” that it was so difficult to reach agreement on a ceasefire, because the Europeans never believed there was a military solution to the conflict in Lebanon, now in its fifth week.
“The real worry ... Is if you (Israel) set out to destroy Hizbullah, you may end up destroying Lebanon but leaving Hizbullah intact. Unfortunately that seems to have happened,” The minister, whose country holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, told Reuters in an interview.
