Lebanese Prime Minister: Disarm Hezbollah, Israel Withdraw
July 31, 2006 — -- The following is a transcript of ABC News correspondent David Wright's interview with Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, a day after Israel's air raid on Qana in southern Lebanon.
David Wright: Israel at this point has expressed its deep regrets. Do you accept Israel's apologies, and its explanation?
Fuad Siniora: Well … No … first of all, the attack against Qana happens for the second time. Just 10 years ago the Israelis committed a similar crime. There was an outpost for the U.N. People were sheltered in that outpost, and they were bombarded by the Israelis killing more than 100 civilians. This time some civilians, most of them children, took shelter in a building that was bombed by the Israelis. The bombing of that building didn't just come as a mistake. In fact, they bombarded that city all that night and scores of raids were made against that city.
Wright: I was hearing 80 separate airstrikes overnight.
Siniora: Yes. Then they attacked that building, a civilian building. And it killed that many people without any mercy. Now, besides that, throughout the past 19 days, they have been bombing several civilian buildings, and this is not the first of the kind. It happens after so many other villages and towns in the south of Lebanon have been bombed and several smaller massacres were done by the Israelis.
By bombarding Qana, and after what happened 10 years ago, an incident that was condemned by the whole world in 1996, they are repeating it. No apology is accepted.
Wright: Israelis insist that Hezbollah is firing rockets from that town.
Siniora: Well, what do you expect as an excuse?
Wright: They've released video showing what they say are rockets being fired from Qana …
Siniora: I think with present technology you can do anything.
Wright: So, you feel that these accounts were made up?
Siniora: Yes, you can do anything with present technology.
I think this is a crime, a crime against human decency, against humanity. What they have done is unacceptable. I want to address all the American people, the American mothers who have seen these pictures, whether they really accept such crimes being committed against Lebanon, against the small children. What they have done to be killed in such a matter. I think that such an act should be condemned by everybody: by the American people, by the American administration. I believe that something has to be done quickly to stop this massacre, to stop this indecency that is being committed by the Israelis. They have to immediately call for a cease-fire.
The U.S. and everybody. We have to have an immediate cease-fire because this thing will continue, and let me tell you ... what are the Israelis achieving?
Wright: Well, lets get to that in a second. … But before, are you satisfied with the efforts of the Bush administration thus far?
Siniora: The American administration is doing [something about it] and I believe that some more has to be done in terms of exercising real pressure on the Israelis.… I believe that some more has to be done in terms of exercising real pressure on the Israelis. I don't think that what has been done is enough yet. Something more has to be done and the Israelis are giving all sorts of excuses. "We cannot give concessions to Hezbollah!" They are not giving concessions to Hezbollah. They are giving concessions to humanity. This is what is required.
