Secretary-General announces agreement on time

 

for cessation of hostilities in middle east

The following statement by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was made in New York on 12 August:

As I promised the Security Council yesterday, I have today been in touch with the Prime Ministers of Israel and Lebanon to discuss with them the exact date and time when the cessation of hostilities called for by the Council will enter into force.

I am very happy to announce that the two leaders have agreed that the cessation of hostilities and the end of the fighting will enter into force on 14 August, at 0500 hours GMT.

Preferably, the fighting should stop now to respect the spirit and intent of the Council decision, the object of which was to save civilian lives, to spare the pain and suffering that the civilians on both sides are living through.

So I urged the parties to stop immediately and I would want to assure them the United Nations forces on the ground, UNIFIL, will work with them to implement the agreement and will monitor compliance.

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For information media • not an official record