"We need to see how serious this proposition is. This could be a smokescreen behind which Hezbollah can continue operating."
-Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner told AFP Tuesday with regard to Lebanon's offer to deploy 15,000 government troops in the south, saying the move could serve as a "smokescreen" for Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
"We need to take account of the reasonable representations made by the Arab League and the Lebanese. We need to get the resolutions down tomorrow (Wednesday) and then ... deal with the underlying problems."
- British Prime Minister Tony Blair told Sky News television at his Downing Street residence on Tuesday. He hopes to see a UN resolution by Wednesday to stop the fighting in Lebanon, as he prepared to head off on a delayed Caribbean holiday.
"Estimates as to the length of the shut down have run the gamut from only a few weeks to as long as a year. Given the unprecendented nature of this type of curtailment, it could be some time before an official indication from BP on the ultimate loss of supply."
- A US-based analyst said Monday with regard to BP's 400,000 b/d crude production cut at Prudhoe Bay field on Alaska's North Slope.