<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document>
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11">
<meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 11">
<link rel=File-List href="cid:filelist.xml@01C6AB13.74528050">
<link rel=Edit-Time-Data href="cid:editdata.mso">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><o:SmartTagType
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:DoNotRelyOnCSS/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>120</w:Zoom>
<w:SpellingState>Clean</w:SpellingState>
<w:GrammarState>Clean</w:GrammarState>
<w:DocumentKind>DocumentEmail</w:DocumentKind>
<w:EnvelopeVis/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:UseWord2002TableStyleRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
mso-ascii-font-family:Arial;
mso-hansi-font-family:Arial;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
p.articletext, li.articletext, div.articletext
{mso-style-name:articletext;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
text-align:justify;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:7.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#2A2A2A;}
span.verblack21
{mso-style-name:verblack21;
mso-ansi-font-size:7.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:7.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;
mso-ascii-font-family:Verdana;
mso-hansi-font-family:Verdana;
color:black;
mso-text-animation:none;
font-weight:bold;
text-decoration:none;
text-underline:none;
text-decoration:none;
text-line-through:none;}
span.SpellE
{mso-style-name:"";
mso-spl-e:yes;}
span.GramE
{mso-style-name:"";
mso-gram-e:yes;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='tab-interval:.5in'>
<div class=Section1>
<table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=580
style='width:435.0pt;mso-cellspacing:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<tr style='mso-yfti-irow:0;mso-yfti-firstrow:yes'>
<td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=1 color="#9c0b0b" face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#9C0B0B;font-weight:bold'>Wednesday,
July 19, 2006<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style='mso-yfti-irow:1'>
<td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=1 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;font-weight:bold'>Diplomats
leave Lebanese civilians to pay for a decision they didn't make<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr height=1 style='mso-yfti-irow:2;height:.75pt'>
<td height=1 bgcolor=black style='background:black;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;
height:.75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:1.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style='mso-yfti-irow:3'>
<td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p><font size=1 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:7.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style='mso-yfti-irow:4'>
<td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=articletext><strong><b><i><font size=1 color="#666666" face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#666666;font-style:italic'><br>
Editorial</span></font></i></b></strong><br>
<br>
Seven days into <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>'s
war on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
there is no hint of effective international diplomacy on the horizon. The
Lebanese are being forced to accept that they are alone in the world, without
a friend who can defend them against an undeserved onslaught. The Syrians,
who many have argued share a healthy portion of blame for the current crisis
in Lebanon, are too busy saving their own skins, threatening fierce reprisals
if their nation comes under attack. The Iranians, also fingered in this
latest wave of hostilities, are cozily sitting back and enjoying the luxury
of sacrificing <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and <span class=SpellE>Hizbullah</span> in their quest to sweeten a deal with
the West over their nuclear program. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=articletext><st1:country-region w:st="on"><font size=1
color="#2a2a2a" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:7.0pt'>Saudi Arabia</span></font></st1:country-region>
is abandoning its role as a regional peacemaker, placing all of the blame
squarely upon <span class=SpellE>Hizbullah</span> and <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>, and expressing no hint of outrage over
the collective punishment and destruction in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>. They apparently have
adopted the belief that the more than 220 innocent civilians killed are among
the "elements" in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>
who are responsible for the current crisis. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=articletext><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font
size=1 color="#2a2a2a" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:7.0pt'>Egypt</span></font></st1:place></st1:country-region>,
the home of an ineffective Arab League, which cannot even muster the
diplomatic will to hold a summit, is busy scolding <span class=SpellE>Hizbullah</span>
for its misdeeds. As <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>
burns for a seventh straight <span class=GramE>day</span>, we see no sense of
urgency on the part of Egyptian leaders to convene emergency talks among
regional heads of state. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=articletext><font size=1 color="#2a2a2a" face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:7.0pt'>Even in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, there is no sign of
diplomatic efforts on the part of leading politicians. The rookie Israeli
government - which has achieved record destruction at a scale and pace rarely
seen, even in this part of the world - has stepped aside and let Israeli
generals take the lead. They fail to see the irony in the fact that their
commanders have been pounding the very army that they expect to impose order
over Lebanese territory. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=articletext><font size=1 color="#2a2a2a" face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:7.0pt'>And the Europeans and the Americans are blindly
following as the Israelis lead us all down a treacherous path. <st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
formerly an advocate for the Lebanese people, is still lingering in <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State>, apparently
reluctant to even try to come and resolve this conflict. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=articletext><font size=1 color="#2a2a2a" face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:7.0pt'>In these darkest of hours, with the skies of <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region> and
the brains of international leaders clouded by the haze of war, the Lebanese
are desperately searching for an outstretched hand of diplomacy. Prime
Minister <span class=SpellE>Fouad</span> <span class=SpellE>Siniora</span>
has pleaded with the world to stop <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s "barbaric"
attacks on the country. But the world has effectively abandoned the Lebanese
people to their misery and turned a blind eye as they suffer the consequences
of a decision that they themselves did not make. Instead of sending us their
diplomats, the world is sending us its boats and buses for the refugees who
hold foreign nationalities. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=articletext><font size=1 color="#2a2a2a" face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:7.0pt'>The Lebanese who don't hold dual citizenship have no
choice but to hunker down in their basements and shelters and watch the
return of an international war that has been played out again and again on
their territory. This time, their beloved homeland has been chosen as a battleground
in which the Israelis will brutalize the Lebanese in order to teach the
Iranians a lesson on behalf of the West. The war-weary Lebanese have no
choice but to pay the ultimate price and once again bear the brunt of the
consequences of world diplomats' failure to resolve a crisis peacefully.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style='mso-yfti-irow:5'>
<td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=1 color="#2a2a2a"
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#2A2A2A'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style='mso-yfti-irow:6;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes'>
<td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><b><font size=1 color="#9c0b0b"
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#9C0B0B;
font-weight:bold'><img width=232 height=26 id="_x0000_i1025"
src="cid:image001.gif@01C6AB0F.F7DAD250"><br>
</span></font></b><span class=verblack21><b><font size=1 color=black
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:7.0pt'>Copyright (c) 2006 The Daily Star</span></font></b></span><font
size=1 color="#2a2a2a" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:
Verdana;color:#2A2A2A'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>