Lebanon must be included in Iran ceasefire deal, UK's Cooper to say

Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will say in a speech to City leaders on Thursday evening.

Addressing an event at the Mansion House, the Foreign Secretary will also warn there ‘must be no return to conflict’ following the earlier announcement by US President Donald Trump of a two-week pause in the conflict.

Despite the President’s announcement, however, Israel has continued to bombard Lebanon, increasing fears that the ceasefire will not hold.

Any hope that Israel would immediately stop hitting targets in Lebanon appeared to be dashed when US Vice President JD Vance insisted that the country was not part of the ceasefire deal with Iran.

Speaking in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, Vance said: ‘I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise, we never indicated that was going to be the case.’

But in her speech at the Lady Mayor’s Easter Banquet on Thursday, the Foreign Secretary will insist that Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire.

She will say: ‘There is considerable work to do, and we support the negotiations: they must make progress; there must be no return to conflict; Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire; there must be no further threat from Iran to its neighbours; and crucially, the Strait of Hormuz must be fully reopened.

‘More than 3,000 miles away from here – yet the deliberate blocking of this critical artery of the global economy is affecting mortgage rates, petrol and food prices, here at home. Every country on every continent has felt the effects.

‘That is why we have been working for a swift resolution of this conflict and to support the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.’

Iran closed the strait as a throughfare in response to the US and Israel’s attacks on it in late February. Since then, global prices of fuel and fertiliser have risen sharply, which has put pressure on household budgets.

Cooper arranged a meeting attended by 40 countries last week, calling for shipping lanes to be reopened in the strait that runs alongside Iran and several countries in the Gulf.

In her address to City leaders, the Foreign secretary will stress the importance of ensuring the critical shipping route remains open.

She will say: ‘Fertiliser for Africa, liquid natural gas for Asia, jet fuel for the world; the trading route for Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Oman, all hijacked by Iran so they can hold the global economy hostage.

‘No country can close these routes – it goes against the fundamental principles of the law of the sea. In Britain, the importance of this runs deep through our history, our interests and our values. We are an island nation. A maritime economy. 95% of our trade is carried by sea. Around 40% of our food is imported.

‘It was Victorian Britain that pioneered the freedom of the seas, maritime law, and made piracy a crime of universal jurisdiction. And today, we know more than ever that freedom of navigation is the underpinning of global trade. It matters for every sea, ocean and strait. Every country has a stake in this. Every industry is affected by it.

‘We should start immediately to get international shipping moving again by supporting the International Maritime Organisation’s proposals to move the ships trapped in the Strait, and the 20,000 stranded seafarers – a humanitarian as well as an economic first step. And then the full and unconditional re-opening of the Strait must be a central part not just of the current ceasefire but of the long-term future for the region.’

By Harry Taylor, Press Association Political Staff

Press Association: News

source: PA

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