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G8 calls for end to fighting

Vladimir Radyuhin

Leaders urge Israel, militant organisations in West Asia to show restraint

MOSCOW: The leaders of the Group of Eight on Monday called for an end to hostilities in West Asia and urged the U.N. Security Council to deploy a peace-keeping force in Lebanon.

A statement adopted at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg demanded "an end to the shelling of Israeli territory" and "an end to Israeli military operations and the early withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza."

The G8 leaders also called for the safe return of Israeli soldiers captured by militant groups and the release of arrested Palestinian Ministers and lawmakers.

The statement signed by the leaders of Russia, the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Japan blamed the immediate crisis on "efforts by extremist forces to destabilise the region and to frustrate the aspirations of the Palestinian, Israeli and Lebanese people for democracy and peace," but identified the "root cause" of problems in the region as "the absence of a comprehensive Middle East peace."

While demanding that "extremists must immediately halt their attacks," the G8 called on Israel to "be mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions" and exercise "utmost restraint."

The leaders also urged the U.N. to consider deployment of an "international security/monitoring presence" in Lebanon.

Mr. Putin said Russia might consider joining the international peace force for Lebanon.

Putin happy with outcome

Summing up the results of the July 15-17 G8 summit which Russia hosted as rotating President of the group, Mr. Putin hailed the growing involvement of India, China and other outreach countries in the work of the Group of Eight as contributing to greater democratisation and openness of the industrial nations' club.

"Fruitful participation of the leaders of Brazil, India, China, Mexico and international organisations in the G8 summit in St. Petersburg testifies to the growing democratisation and openness of the group," Mr. Putin said. "Discussions in the broader format [with the outreach countries] proved to be even more interesting than within G8 as such. "Without such countries as India and China it is impossible to solve global economic and financial problems," the Russian leader stressed.Mr. Putin said he was happy with what he described as the "very good results" of the G8 summit.

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