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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni shaking hands with her French counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy in Paris on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Last update - 00:12 07/12/2006
Chirac calls on Israel to stop IDF flights over Lebanon
By The Associated Press

French President Jacques Chirac told Israel on Wednesday it should stop flying warplanes over Lebanon in what Israel says is an effort to gather intelligence on Hezbollah arms smuggling.

France and Israel failed to patch up differences the flights, which French forces call menacing and Israel insists are needed for security.

French peacekeepers say they came within seconds of shooting down Israeli F-15 fighters that nose-dived repeatedly over their positions in south Lebanon on Oct. 31. The incident incensed the French military.
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Chirac "repeated France's position on the overflights" at a meeting in his Elysee Palace with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, his spokesman Jerome Bonnafont said.

Livni, who met with top French officials Wednesday in Paris, defended the flights as a needed security precaution to watch movements of missiles like those fired by Hezbollah militia on Israel during the recent war in Lebanon.

"The only reason for these flights is to get information," said Livni at a news conference alongside French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. Livni said Lebanon's border with Syria, seen as a transit route for weapons to Hezbollah, remained open.

President Jacques Chirac also hosted Livni, discussing Israeli-Palestinian relations, concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions and his hopes for a "change of behavior" from Israeli neighbor Syria, according to Jerome Bonnafont, a Chirac spokesman. Bonnafont did not specify what Chirac was seeking from Damascus.

UN Security Council resolution 1701 paved the way for a cease-fire to end the war on Aug. 14, urging respect of Lebanon's borders and a Lebanese effort to prevent the smuggling of weapons from Syria.

"It's an important achievement we have to consolidate ... and ensure the
respect of the embargo and - at the same time - a halt to the overflights," Douste-Blazy said.

Chirac wants the resolution to be fully applied, and pressed for a "quick
solution" for Shaaba Farms, Bonnafont said. Shaaba Farms is a plot of land along Lebanon's border with Israel and Syria that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Lebanon wants to regain control.

French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has called Israel's overflights of Lebanon "extremely dangerous," saying peacekeepers could see them as hostile and fire in self-defense.

There are about 1,600 French peacekeepers in south Lebanon, part of a
10,000-strong force from about 20 countries that seeks to maintain south
Lebanon as a weapons-free zone. Along with the Lebanese army, the force is intended to keep Hezbollah guerrillas away from the Israeli border.
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Interview with a killer
Yigal Amir describes how the idea to assassinate Yitzhak Rabin came about.
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Exit poll reveals U.S. absentee voters in Israel back McCain over Obama by 3-1.
  1.   Everyone`s a bit slow off the mark today. 18:20  |  Carl 06/12/06
  2.   Shoot the Planes! 18:34  |  Ebenezer James 06/12/06
  3.   #2 Ebenezer James; And what of IAF preemties and destroys the 19:06  |  IAF VETERAN 06/12/06
  4.   France Shmance. Who wants a nucler reactor? Highest bidder please 19:26  |  Dan 06/12/06
  5.   Israel Is In Violation 19:35  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/12/06
  6.   france 19:58  |  french 06/12/06
  7.   Re: Israel is in violoation 20:05  |  Omer 06/12/06
  8.   Israel is in violation 20:16  |  Michel 06/12/06
  9.   French military 20:45  |  CLL 06/12/06
  10.   5:Sullivan, for your ilk Israel itself is a violation 20:46  |  unclicked/unfooled 06/12/06
  11.   Kidnapped soldiers aren`t released yet. HIZB isn`t disarmed yet.. 20:53  |  Vittorio 06/12/06
  12.   IAF Vet...you need a lesson in realpolitik 20:58  |  Tim 06/12/06
  13.   No Invasion??? 21:11  |  Harold 06/12/06
  14.   unclicked/unfooled a suggestion to you in return 21:12  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/12/06
  15.   Yakov`s One Sided Enforcement 21:19  |  Harold 06/12/06
  16.   Another disaster for Livni 21:35  |  Jonathan S 06/12/06
  17.   France`s Half-Proposal -- What is the Rest? 21:35  |  Serge 06/12/06
  18.   #13 Raid, not invasion 21:55  |  Jens 06/12/06
  19.   No-flight zone needed. 22:01  |  Jens 06/12/06
  20.   Are they still renting out their vehicles to hizbullah? 22:05  |  Allon 06/12/06
  21.   Harold and the question of balance 22:08  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/12/06
  22.   Sure, when he stops supporting terrorists 22:12  |  Cynic 06/12/06
  23.   The Islamic Republic of France 22:12  |  SystemF 06/12/06
  24.   arrogant zionists 22:15  |  arab 06/12/06
  25.   Why Israel still flies over Lebanon 22:15  |  Yehoshua Merel 06/12/06
  26.   Shoot em Down 22:54  |  Mr. Knowitall 06/12/06
  27.   CHIRAC 23:05  |  joelle 06/12/06
  28.   France: Seal the border with Turkey, Syria and flights will stop. 23:11  |  W 06/12/06
  29.   France`s Chirac calls on Israel to stop IDF flights over Lebanon 23:28  |  Nick 06/12/06
  30.   #2 Ebenezer James; And what of IAF preemties and destroys the 23:35  |  Nick 06/12/06
  31.   #21 Angry Arab 23:43  |  SystemF 06/12/06
  32.   Sullivan and his usual imbalance 23:45  |  Jonathan S 06/12/06
  33.   Gathering intelligence... 23:52  |  Boule 06/12/06
  34.   to arab,do you think the world will let the muslims arrogance 00:05  |  watcher2 07/12/06
  35.   #3 IAF Veteran 00:24  |  Neal 07/12/06
  36.   Chirac`s Folly 00:26  |  J of Hoollywood 07/12/06
  37.   Yaacov Sullivan so worried for his future home nation 00:39  |  Jacob Blues 07/12/06
  38.   IDF Flights 00:40  |  Franklin Newton 07/12/06
  39.   Science 101 for Yaacov Sullivan 00:43  |  Jacob Blues 07/12/06
  40.   Would Israel tolerate such arrogant... 00:53  |  Maureen Ann 07/12/06
  41.   #12, Tim The Canuck, Can you explain what you just wrote 01:41  |  IAF VETERAN 07/12/06
  42.   # 24 Arab very ill informed aka ignorant 01:42  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 07/12/06
  43.   IAF Vet get real. 02:27  |  Dutch Dirk 07/12/06
  44.   #28 No it`s not reasonable 03:09  |  ballistic 07/12/06
  45.   #21 What about Israel`s "incursions" 03:12  |  ballistic 07/12/06
  46.   Intelligence overflights - baloney 03:16  |  heinz 07/12/06
  47.   #24 Arab, Read about nuclear physics and atomic weapons developme 03:29  |  Max Zinger 07/12/06
  48.   Dutch Dick 03:45  |  Bob 07/12/06
  49.   Nick another Dick 03:51  |  Bob 07/12/06
  50.   Reply to No 3 04:16  |  Abe 07/12/06
  51.   #29 Nick of London, You c alled the french frogs 04:25  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 07/12/06
  52.   NOSE DIVING -------------------------- 04:50  |  dude 07/12/06
  53.   Blame Israel, They Created This Mess 04:58  |  Brent 07/12/06
  54.   Yaakov Sullivan #5 05:17  |  Reid 07/12/06
  55.   #8 Omer 05:19  |  Reid 07/12/06
  56.   Yaakov Sullivan - Harold 05:28  |  Reid 07/12/06
  57.   "IAF Vet get real"? 05:35  |  Harold 07/12/06
  58.   Dutch Dork 05:42  |  Stephen Lynch 07/12/06
  59.   Call on Chirac to stop being human shields for Hisbulla 05:43  |  PETER SM 07/12/06
  60.   IDF flights 11:01  |  haryyo 07/12/06
  61.   Re French military, CLL 11:36  |  Roobit 07/12/06
  62.   RE: IAF worlds best airforce & war fantasies 11:52  |  rational thought 07/12/06
  63.   Israeli Overflights 23:03  |  Juno Junoveldt 07/12/06
  64.   Chirac tells Israel to stop 19:42  |  Jack Cohen 31/10/08
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Yigal Amir describes how idea to murder Rabin came about
Responses: 74
Official: Olmert intends to resume indirect talks with Syria
Responses: 67
Settlers rebuild Federman Farm outpost hours after evacuation
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Akiva Eldar: Mideast change can't be left to the Americans alone
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Yossi Sarid: McCain would be as bad for Israel as Bush was
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