VZCZCXRO8967
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHDL #0926 2241221
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 121221Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUBLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7327
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES IMMEDIATE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0151
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS DUBLIN 000926 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER MOPS UNSC IS LE EI
SUBJECT: IRELAND WELCOMES UNSC RESOLUTION 1701 
 
REF: STATE 132517 
 
¶1.  Ireland welcomes the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1701 as 
an opportunity to end hostilities in Lebanon and Israel, 
according to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) First 
Secretary for Middle Eastern Affairs Stephen Dawson, to whom 
 
SIPDIS 
post delivered reftel demarche on August 12.  Dawson referred 
Post to an August 12 statement by Foreign Minister Dermot 
Ahern (see para 2) containing points that he reiterated in a 
morning radio interview on the need to resolve the crisis. 
Dawson noted that Ireland would consider seriously any 
eventual request for troop contributions to the enlarged 
UNIFIL mission (beyond the 17 Irish officers who participate 
in UNIFIL as currently constituted).  He observed that a such 
a request was "still down the road" and would have to specify 
the role that troops in the expanded force would play. 
 
¶2.  Begin text of Foreign Minister Ahern's August 12 
statement: 
 
I very much welcome the adoption by the Security Council of 
Resolution 1701, which calls for a complete end to 
hostilities in Lebanon and Israel, and sets out a range of 
principles and other measures with the aim of ensuring that 
this crisis is not repeated in the future. 
 
This important development brings us appreciably closer to 
the cessation of violence which has been the Government's 
priority from the outset.  It has taken more time and many 
more casualties than I had hoped to reach this stage, and has 
required difficult compromises for all parties, but it is 
important that we have now reached a broad international 
consensus on how to resolve the crisis. 
 
There is a lot more work still to do.  It has unfortunately 
always been much easier to start conflict in this area than 
to stop it.  I again urge all sides now to cease hostilities 
immediately.  And I urge all those who have influence with 
the parties to use that influence now to bring this about, 
and to encourage them to take all necessary steps to ensure a 
permanent end to the violence. 
 
End text of statement. 
KENNY