Scotsman – News in brief - 31/07/06
Last night Israel gave in to mounting international pressure and consented to a 48-hour suspension of their aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon, following an air strike by an Israeli missile in Qana, that killed at least 23 adults and 37
children sheltering in a basement. Pressure was also building within the Labour
Party calling for Tony Blair to demand an immediate ceasefire and break ranks with the US.
The US State Department announced the suspension of aerial activity but with the proviso that if the Israelis learned that attacks were being prepared against them they had reserved the right to attack targets. Israel also agreed to work with the United Nations to facilitate a 24-hour period of safe passage to enable those residents of southern Lebanon who wanted to do so, to leave the region.
UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan repeated his demand for an immediate ceasefire and convened an emergency meeting of the Security Council after the horrific images of broken bodies being hauled from the rubble provoked a wave of international condemnation.
"Why have they attacked little children and defenceless women?" asked a bereaved man, Mohamed Samai.
Civil defence worker Abu Shadi Jradi collapsed under a tree and wept. "There are so many children. We just keep pulling out children and more children."
Israeli military officials released a video, which they claimed showed rockets being fired from Qana. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Dan Gillerman, told the Security Council that Qana was "a hub for Hezbollah".
The Lebanese special envoy to the UN, Nouhad Mahoud said that Israel was committing war crimes. He added: "Israel is committing atrocities against humanity". Secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, described the attack as a "massacre".
Britain and the US again declined to back Koffi Annan's call but last night Britain and Germany issued a joint statement, saying "the urgency of the need for a ceasefire as soon as possible" to halt the Middle East bloodshed, was underlined by the destruction of Qana.
Condoleezza Rice, the US
secretary of state, cut short her latest Middle East visit yesterday and cancelled a meeting with the Lebanese government, amid reports that the Israelis have told Washington that they need two more weeks to neutralise Hezbollah.Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who is visiting the US, has repeatedly said an immediate ceasefire would not solve the area's fundamental problems and that Israeli military action should stop only when Hezbollah was dismantled, but many Labour MPs want Britain to tell Israel to stop attacking now.
Tony Lloyd, a former Labour foreign office minister, said last night "You do reach the point as an MP where you are ashamed that this
government has not spoken out loudly". Jack Straw, leader of the House of Commons, publicly criticised the "disproportionate" Israeli response to Hezbollah attacks. The US and the UK will today propose a UN Security Council resolution authorising an international force in southern Lebanon to help the Beirut government to disarm Hezbollah. Tony Blair and George Bush, both see Israel's battle with Hezbollah as part of a wider struggle between democracy and extremism.
The SNP leader, Alex Salmond, will promise to slash the number of Executive
departments from nine to six if he becomes first
Minister next May and will make this promise the heart of the Scottish National Party's Holyrood election manifesto. Alex Salmond, the party leader, believes the radical plan to curb the size of government in Scotland - will put the SNP on the side of "small government" in political debate.The radical blueprint for devolved government was agreed by the party's shadow cabinet, which met last week to discuss its approach to power.
The "first 100 days" of an SNP-led Executive, would implement the plan to abolish the departments of development; education; enterprise, transport learning; environment and rural affairs; finance and central services; health; justice; legal and parliamentary services and the office of the
permanent secretary.In their place would be a department of the first minister and departments for finance and sustainable growth; health and well being; education and skills; rural affairs; and justice. Each of the six departments would have a cabinet-level minister thereby reducing the number of senior ministers who are MSPs from 11 to six.
Mr Salmond has yet to put a figure to the number of posts that will go, but accepts that reducing the number of departments to make the Executive "fit for purpose" will mean civil service job losses.Mr Salmond has informed Sir John Elvidge, head of the Scottish civil service, that he wants to create a government machine modelled on private sector companies, which have small headquarters. Having studied how entrepreneurs such as Brian Souter, of Stagecoach and Sir Tom Farmer, of Kwik-Fit, run their companies, his model for government is to have small "headquarters functions" running Scotland.
An Executive spokesman said: "The permanent secretary will respond in due course to the letter. It is normal practice for the permanent secretary to meet the leaders of the main opposition parties prior to an election - this happened in 1999 and again in 2003. In 2003, these meetings happened early in the New Year, but timing is a matter for the permanent secretary to decide."
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