Return to Transcripts main page

Breaking News

Lebanese Ambassador to the U.N. Responds to Security Council's Statement

Aired July 30, 2006 - 20:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to the CNN Center. I'm Carol Lin. We are listening in to comments by members of the U.N. Security Council on a statement that the council issued. Essentially it was a compromised text, the council only condemning the violence in between Israel and Lebanon and declaring that the humanitarian crisis is at stake. Let's listen into the Lebanese ambassador to the United Nations speaking right now.

NOUHAD MAHMOUD, LEBANESE AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

QUESTION: Ambassador, do you believe you're going to be able to get Hezbollah to agree to any kind of language in the draft that France was circulating earlier on a resolution on Lebanon? Do you believe that the Hezbollah is going to step up to the plate and agree to any of the language in the draft?

MAHMOUD: On behalf of the Lebanese government, and the Lebanese government is the coalition of all these forces, and sure, that's our language, we expressed the views of all the Lebanese when we're here.

QUESTION: Ambassador, the announcement by the Israeli government that they are suspending aerial activity for 48 hours, does that give you any encouragement, any hope?

MAHMOUD: Well, people are dying not only from air strikes, they're dying also from shelling and from other fires. So why this measure of taking little by little? I mean that will continue. There is no cease-fire and there's no cessation of hostilities. We are looking for something much more than that anyway.

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, will the Israelis come into Lebanon to do the investigation on the ground where the accident occurred?

MAHMOUD: No, I think they will make their investigation from the source, not from the -- not from where it happened. The source is in Israel, not in Lebanon.

QUESTION: What about the weapons that could surgically hit supposedly within an inch and a half of a target.

MAHMOUD: Well an inch and a half doesn't make that big difference, I think.

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, how do you feel about the language about cessation of hostilities, that it was not in the statement?

MAHMOUD: Well, we're hoping that it will be included, but for some consideration it was not. But we build on the core, on both parties to end the violence, which is something new. And we've not had it before and also the commitment of the Security Council to follow-up and find a settlement for the crisis.

QUESTION: Your reaction, ambassador, to the Israeli announcement on the suspension of the aerial strikes for 48 hours? What is your reaction?

MAHMOUD: We're looking for much more in order to spare the civilians more atrocities and more bloodshed. Thank you.

LIN: All right. We just heard from Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations expressing disappointment that the U.N. Security Council did not call for a cessation, a cease-fire, between Israel and Lebanon. The council only saying that it is expressing extreme shock and distress at the Israeli bombing of the Lebanese city of Qana. We're going to have much more on this on "LARRY KING LIVE" as John Roberts hosts from Israel, as well as in our prime-time newscast in one hour at 10:00 Eastern. Please join us then. I'm Carol Lin at the CNN Center.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com