White House repeats call for 'durable' ceasefire in Gaza

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/White_H..._01062009.html

1/6/2008

The White House reiterated on Tuesday it wanted to see a "durable" ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, stopping short of endorsing a proposed humanitarian truce for Gaza.

"We are working to help bring about a durable ceasefire," spokeswoman Dana Perino told AFP when asked if President George W. Bush would be ready to back a humanitarian truce.

She said that "humanitarian aid has been flowing to the region, provided by Israel and the UN."

Perino spoke as France worked with Arab states on a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate end to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza as well as to rocket fire into Israel by Gaza-based militants.

The text would also urge the lifting of the Israeli siege of Gaza to allow humanitarian access to the beleaguered Palestinian population, protection of Palestinian civilians, a resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and a means to monitor the truce and protect civilians, diplomats said.

Perino struck a cautious tone over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's diplomatic effort to persuade Syria to push its ally Hamas to agree a truce.

"We have not found such talks with the Syrians to be constructive or useful," she said.

"If President Sarkozy is successful in getting Syria to stop supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, that would be good."

Sarkozy arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus earlier Tuesday as part of a Mideast tour trying to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Syria is a key player in the region and is home to the self-exiled chief of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal.