Posted on 25-9-2002
U.N.
Security Council Approves Mideast Measure
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United States decided not to veto
a Security
Council resolution calling for Israel to withdraw from Palestinian
cities,
clearing the way for its passage early Tuesday and handing a
diplomatic
victory to the Palestinians. The resolution, which passed 14-0
with America
abstaining, was negotiated by the European Union and cobbled
together with
language from competing U.S. and Arab proposals.
``The resolution that we've adopted this evening was flawed
in our view in
that it failed to explicitly condemn the terrorist groups and
those who
provide them with political cover, support and safe haven in
perpetuating
conflict in the Middle East,'' Deputy U.S. ambassador James
Cunningham
said. But the vote was a victory for the Palestinians and their
Syrian
backers on the 15-member Security Council. Arafat spokesman
Nabil Abu
Rdeineh called the vote ``a step in the right direction. ``I
believe this
abstention from the United States is a clear criticism of Israel
and its
actions on the ground and reveals their dissatisfaction with
Israel and its
measures.''
Israel's U.N. ambassador, Yehuda Lancry, said the U.S. abstention
should be
seen in light of Washington's desire to preserve good international
relations ahead of possible military action against Iraq. ``It's
definitely
a disappointment,'' Lancry told Israel Radio. ``But with the
complex
American situation regarding the Iraqi issue and its desire
not to further
strain relations with its European partners, they preferred
to take a
position in the middle.''
The Palestinians have failed several times to secure a resolution
since
violence broke out in the Middle East in September 2000. The
United States,
one of five permanent council members with veto power, blocked
a similar
Palestinian resolution in December. The United States had threatened
to do
so again but ultimately abstained on Tuesday when some of the
language it
had sought -- condemning terrorist attacks and bringing the
perpetrators to
justice -- was inserted into the final text. But the United
States refused
to approve the resolution because it failed to mention Israel's
security
concerns or specifically identify Hamas and Islamic Jihad as
the two
militant groups responsible for two deadly suicide bombings
in Israel last
week.
The original Palestinian draft blamed Israel for the upsurge
in violence,
demanded its withdrawal from Palestinian cities and expressed
concern for
the humanitarian plight of the Palestinian people. It did not
address
Israel's security concerns or mention Palestinian suicide bombings.
The
ongoing siege of Arafat's compound was prompted by two such
attacks last
week. The approved resolution ``demands that Israel immediately
cease
measures in and around Ramallah, including the destruction of
Palestinian
civilian and security infrastructure.'' It further demands ``the
withdrawal
of the Israeli occupying forces from Palestinian cities toward
the return
to positions held prior to September 2000.'' The resolution
also ``calls on
the Palestinian Authority to meet its expressed commitment to
ensure that
those responsible for terrorist acts are brought to justice,''
and it
reiterates a demand for the cessation of all acts of violence.
When it became clear late Monday that the Palestinians were
going to push
for a vote on their text, the United States submitted its own
proposal to
condemn the suicide bombings, name Islamic Jihad and Hamas as
the
responsible parties and call for the two militant groups to
be treated as
terrorist organizations under the provisions of an anti-terrorism
resolution passed after the Sept. 11 attacks. Using unusually
harsh
language to criticize Israel, the U.S. draft also expressed
grave concern
for Israel's actions at Arafat's compound which ``aggravate
the situation
and ... do not contribute to progress on comprehensive Palestinian
civil
and security reforms.'' But the Palestinians and their Arab
partners on the
Security Council rejected the American draft, setting off 10
hours of
negotiations as France, Britain, Norway and Ireland worked to
find a
compromise.
Under pressure to act in the face of escalating death and destruction
in
the Middle East, the Security Council opened its chamber Monday
to debate
the crisis. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked both sides
to reverse
course in exchange for a peaceful solution to the 54-year-old
conflict.
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