Monday, January 05, 2009

Stoltenberg: -

A dramatic escalation





- The Israeli operation on the ground is a dramatic escalation, said Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg on NRK Radio's Newshour. He said Norway is opposed to military operations which hit a large number of civilians.

- We ask that the Israeli troops be withdrawn from Gaza Strip immediately. This is the most densly populated area in the world which is now exposed to operations on the ground as well as bombing from the air and sea. The attacks hit people who have nowhere to go, and a large number of them are civilians, Stoltenberg said.

He also said that he regarded the Israeli use of power (in retalliation for the Hamas rocket attacks) to be disproportionate.

While asking Israel to withdraw its troops, the Norwegian Prime Minister also said he appealed - as he had done all along - to Hamas to stop the rocket attacks against Israel.

He also repeated that this was a conflict that could not be solved through the use of military power. Only negotiations can lead to a lasting solution, Stoltenberg said.

And when it came to finding a lasting solution, the US holds the key, whether we like it or not, he said. He therefore appealed to the new president to act quickly to bring the two sides to the negotiation table.

Source: Norway Post


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