Time for some sincere dialogue

Sir,
There is a serious risk that the latest dramatic episodes between the Islamic fundamentalist group Hizbollah and the state of Israel will degenerate into a conflict with international repercussions.

One must condemn the actions of Hizbollah for crossing the border last Wednesday and capturing two Israeli soldiers. However, Israel’s military reprisals must equally be considered wrong. A state’s right to self-defence does not exempt it from respecting the norms of international law, especially as regards the protection of civilian populations. Lebanon, is a free and sovereign nation, and gives assurances of its closeness to those people who have suffered so much in the defence of their own independence.

It appears obvious that the only path worthy of our civilisation is that of sincere dialogue between the contending parties.
Paul Kokoski,
Canada

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.