Ahern urges need for immediate ceasefire

The Minister for Foreign Affairs has made it clear the Government wants an immediate cessation of hostilities in south Lebanon, rather than a gradual delivery of a ceasefire as the US appears to favour.

At Hillsborough Castle yesterday, Dermot Ahern said the Government would consider sending troops to the area if formally requested but repeated that the Army's ability to provide additional support to the UN was limited.

The Mnister made no direct criticism of US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice's mission in the Middle East, but he said a ceasefire was required immediately.

"As far as the Irish Government are concerned, we want a ceasefire and we want it now," he said. "It's no good in a week's time or in a month's time.

"People are being killed as we speak, and at every fora and at every opportunity we've said that. We said it to our EU colleagues who have influence in the area.

We've said it to the US and we continue to say it.

"I'm glad that Condoleezza Rice is in the area because I believe the Americans have a big influence in relation to what will happen there.

"Obviously Syria and Iran have huge influences as well. So what we want is a ceasefire," said Mr Ahern. An international monitoring force needed to go in immediately to assist the existing monitoring mission.

The Church of Ireland House of Bishops last night stated that the "cries of the suffering"in the Middle East could no longer be ingnored and called for an immediate ceasefire.