US investigating Israeli use of cluster bombs -NYT
US: The State Department is investigating whether Israel's use
of U.S.-manufactured rockets armed with cluster bombs in Lebanon
violated agreements with the United States restricting use of such
weapons, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
Unidentified current and former U.S. officials told the newspaper
they doubted the investigation would lead to sanctions against Israel,
but that the probe might be intended to help the Bush administration
blunt criticism from Arab governments over its support of Israeli
military operations.
In a report on its Web site, the Times said the State Department's
Office of Defense Trade Controls opened the probe this week after
reports that three types of American cluster bombs were discovered in
southern Lebanon and were responsible for civilian deaths.
Israel has defended its right to use cluster bombs and says it only
deploys them in accordance with international law. It has not specified
whether it used them in the Lebanon war.
State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos told the paper, "We have
heard the allegations that these munitions were used, and we are seeking
more information."
A State Department spokeswoman contacted by Reuters had no immediate
comment.
A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy told the Times, "We have not been
informed of any such inquiry, and when we are we would be happy to
respond."
The Times said the United States crafted agreements with Israel
governing its use of American cluster bombs in the 1970s. The deals
required that munitions only be used against organized Arab armies and
clearly defined military targets, the paper said.
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan imposed a six-year ban on
further sales of cluster weapons to Israel after a congressional
investigation found Israel had used the weapons against civilian areas
of Lebanon, which it invaded in 1982, according to the report.
On Tuesday, a U.N. demining official told Reuters that Israel dropped
cluster bombs on at least 170 villages in southern Lebanon during its
34-day war with Hizbollah guerrillas. The official accused Israel of
deliberately hitting built-up areas with the bombs, in violation of
international law, which states those munitions must not be used in
areas where there are civilians.
Israel denies using the weapons illegally and accuses Hizbollah of
firing rockets into Israel from civilian areas.
Washington, Friday, Reuters |