CAABU Director quoted on FCO report - Times Online

War report could further damage Britain's reputation in Middle East - Article by Richard Beeston, The Times Online

 "The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was accused today of applying double standards to this summer’s war in Lebanon, after its annual human rights report condemned Hezbollah and Syria for abuses but omitted any criticism of Israel.

The section on the war in the 355-page report, released today, said that Hezbollah, the militant Shia militia, fired 4,000 rockets into northern Israeli cities, killing 40 civilians and injuring 2,000 more.

“We remain deeply concerned by Syria’s ongoing support for Hezbollah,” said the report, which was presented by Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary.

“Hezbollah’s role in the major outbreak of violence this year with Israel included abducting and detaining two Israeli soldiers and firing unguided rockets into Israeli towns and cities.”

But the document made no mention of Israel’s actions. It has faced widespread condemnation for its bombardment of southern Lebanon and the Shia Muslim southern suburbs of Beirut, where early 1,200 Lebanese were killed, most of them civilians..............

Chris Doyle, the head of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), said that yesterday’s failure to condemn Israel’s actions would further damage Britain’s reputation in the region.

“It is ridiculous, it undermines the credibility of the report,” he said. “For the FCO to put its head in the sand like this is farcical. It will not do any good for Britain’s standing in the Arab world.”

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Click here for CAABU Press Release on FCO Human Rights Report 2006 - 12th October 2006