UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett
Photo: Reuters
A British official said on Tuesday that the UK cannot accept a draft European Union statement calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel
and Lebanese Hizbullah
guerrillas.
Speaking as EU foreign ministers held emergency talks on the three-week-old crisis, the official said London wanted several changes to the document circulated by Finland, which holds the 25-nation bloc's rotating presidency.
"As it stands, there is no way we can accept this conclusion," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Diplomats said Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland wanted alternative wording urging a cessation of hostilities.