Ban 'encouraged, relieved' after Israel-Hamas truce

AMMAN: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday welcomed a truce between Israel and Hamas to end bloodshed that has killed more than 150 people, but said that details of the deal still need to be ironed out.

“We are encouraged and relieved that they have reached this ceasefire,” Ban told reporters after meeting with King Abdullah II in Jordan after after engaging in shuttle diplomacy between Jerusalem and Ramallah aimed at bolstering the peace efforts.

“There are still many details to be solidified for a durable ceasefire. I hope they will finalise these details as soon possible.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, speaking at a joint news conference in Cairo with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said the cessation of Israel-Hamas hostilities would begin at 1900 GMT.

“Our focus now must be on ensuring that the ceasefire holds,” Ban said, saying calm must be restored in order to channel humanitarian assistance to all those in need in Gaza.

The truce seeks to end a week of bloodshed in and around Gaza that has killed at least 160 people.

“I will urge them to exert self-restraint. They must keep their promises,” Ban said, acknowledging there are “risks” and “challenges” in implementing the agreement.

“I urge them to exercise maximum restraint, patience with a sense of mutual understanding, this is very important.” The king called for global backing for the truce, a palace statement said.

“International support is needed to help sustain the truce,” the king told Ban, calling for more efforts to revive the stalled peace talks between Israeli and the Palestinians. -- AFP

Ban 'encouraged, relieved' after Israel-Hamas truce

AMMAN: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday welcomed a truce between Israel and Hamas to end bloodshed that has killed more than 150 people, but said that details of the deal still need to be ironed out.

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