A former top American diplomat says the US deliberately resisted calls for a immediate ceasefire during the conflict in Lebanon in the summer of 2006. Former ambassador to the UN John Bolton told the BBC that before any ceasefire Washington wanted Israel to eliminate Hezbollah's military capability. Mr Bolton said an early ceasefire would have been "dangerous and misguided". He said the US decided to join efforts to end the conflict only when it was clear Israel's campaign wasn't working. The former envoy, who stepped down in December 2006, was interviewed for a BBC radio documentary, The Summer War in Lebanon, to be broadcast in April. Mr Bolton said the US was deeply disappointed at Israel's failure to remove the threat from Hezbollah and the subsequent lack of any attempt to disarm its forces. Britain joined the US in refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire. 'Damn proud' The war began when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers, but it quickly escalated into a full-scale conflict. BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says the US-UK refusal to join calls for a ceasefire was one of the most controversial aspects of the diplomacy. The UK, US and Israeli were alone in resisting an early ceasefire At the time US officials argued a ceasefire was insufficient and agreement was needed to address the underlying tensions and balance of power in the region. Mr Bolton now describes it as "perfectly legitimate... and good politics" for the Israelis to seek to defeat their enemy militarily, especially as Hezbollah had attacked Israel first and it was acting "in its own self-defence". Mr Bolton, a controversial and blunt-speaking figure, said he was "damned proud of what we did" to prevent an early ceasefire. Also in the BBC programme, several key players claim that, privately, there were Arab leaders who also wanted Israel to destroy Hezbollah. "There were many not - how should I put it - resistant to the thought that the Israelis should thoroughly defeat Hezbollah, who... increasingly by Arab states were seen as an Iranian proxy," said UN special envoy Terje Roed Larsen. More than 1,000 Lebanese civilians and an unknown number of Hezbollah fighters were killed in the conflict. Israel lost 116 soldiers in the fighting, while 43 of its civilians were killed in Hezbollah rocket attacks.

^^^Forced exodus is what happened to your family dear lad. I can't argue there, but the two situations though both tragic is hardly comparable.

LooooL@Care you beat it to me. So Cara...which one is more believable? One gives a sense of order and the other sense of abusive choas.

I like the diffirent the titles. Forced vs Ordered.

If u're struck by an illness and need to be off work, wouldn't it stink to have a healthy colleague evaluated as higher performing just cause he was there? It certainly does stink but how's this fair to those that were there and picked up after my slack. Why should their efforts be discounted. Not only they do have to do their own assignments, but they had to take on my piles of work. Surely that warrants some recognition albeit at my expense. And managers have aslo to deal with other things that are not and can't be so well defined in the law. There is office politics, seniority, and whole set of other things to consider for the company to run smoothly. Cara....The Japenese are faced with the same problems. They haven't figured out to entice young women to start families,but they have encouraged the elders and more women to join the work force. Only a person with gumption would know how to get the industrialised nations out of this baby slide. Or they could always lax their immigration laws. Atleast that's how the states has thwarted this problem. Of course we might have to learn how to speak Spanish.

Kimiya....Taking formal leave of absence whether mandated by the law or not will have negative impact on the employee's chance for promotion. Promotions are atleast in part determined by perfomance ratings. And this creates a dilemma for managers. How one could consider the performance ratings of an employee that has been absent from work?. Managers must be fair when it comes to the allocation of performance evaluations and rewards. Maybe they should give fathers a parental leave to even the field!

^^^^^Ayoub....We are just joking. Neither of us is serious here!!

Duke...Did this "little incident" ignite today's clashes? What was the TFG thinking targeting these men?

So you kick our fugees out while wanting to hold gogol for us. Talk about contradiction. And no worries we will bring da fight to you. Just rest your boys in the meantime.

What are the reports you are hearing?

^^Just around your house!

^^^^I thought that time has come and passed. Muraadayad aad sheegtay gidaar China camal dhista. Hunguru....I don't need protection. And at the same time, I don't know we could trust either. What's your stand on the Somali issues?

Things are already out of hand. Wax la isku kala hare maajira. Hunguru....Your avator is not quite inviting. Say Gogol udhigay.

Best for who exactly? Southerners want to put claim on anything Somali. How's that serve our purpose then?

^^^Time will tell. We will see what comes first your elusive dream of statehood or our return to statehood.

^^^Still not interested...Mar daalno anagaa danteena usoo jaaysaneena...Till then let it be, but tanug yu anyway!

^^^^Why build those that will lead to your demise?

^^^^A Somalia with goverment would come after you!

^^^^Waad ilka caday neesaaye. Enjoy while it lasts. But I assure there is no remedy for Somalis to find in Somaliland.

^^^^Things to come!!! It is gonna get nastier

^^^^No thanks ....Southerners will fix own problems. How could an entity dedicated to the dismemberment of Somalia host a Somali reconciliation?

Kashafa and Xiin.....It must be tiring dealing with these poltroons who continue offering elaborate false rationales for their failure to go against the courts on their own. The online warrior like Xalane is simple roue'.

LooooL@Cara...They should reintroduce that phrase to help their shrinking labor force. Sheh....I thought Kimiya was just being fishwife wanting to vex me. The company's desire to promote an employee is warranted by a need, a need that should be fulfilled within certian time. It is only logical for them to meet that need by promoting those who are actually avialable and obviously compatent to do the job.

Alla-Ubaahne...Muslinimadaada ma saanbaa!! Habaar iy Dagaal baa ku jidhaa marki la arko!!

LoooooooooL@Service to the country. I guess single males and lesbain that Cambarra alluded to could take some succor in that statement. Losing a job promotion to patriot won't be so bad. I have few friend in the national guards. Iam not sure what rules are if they get deployed to a war zone. I know their jobs are guaranteed upon their return from the service.