UN 'standing idly by'

2006-08-08 23:45

New York - An Arab League delegation accused the security council on Tuesday of standing by idly while weeks of fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah sowed "the seeds of hatred and extremism" in the Middle East.

"It is most saddening that the council stands idly by, crippled, unable to stop the bloodbath which has become the bitter daily lot of the defenseless Lebanese people," Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al-Thani, the head of a three-man Arab League delegation, told the 15-nation council.

"What is happening will sow the seeds of hatred and extremism in the area and provide a pretext for those who feel that the international community is taking sides and lacks fairness as to this dispute," he told the council.

- Reuters