 |
 |
 |
|
|
United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte speaks to members of the press following a Security Council meeting. (AP)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| By Ellis Shuman October 15, 2003 |
|
| |
For the second time in a month, the United States last night exercised its veto power in the UN Security Council to nullify a draft resolution condemning Israel. This time the proposed resolution condemned Israel's construction of the security fence and called for its immediate dismantlement. "We voted against it because it was very unbalanced and didn't condemn the terrorist acts," explained U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte. The Palestinians plan to bring the resolution to the UN General Assembly.
In September, the United States vetoed a resolution that would have demanded Israel halt threats to expel Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. Negroponte labeled the earlier resolution as "lopsided" against Israel.
In last night's vote, the U.S. was the only country to vote against the resolution, which was prepared by the UN's Palestinian representative and introduced by Syria, which is a Security Council member. The United Kingdom, Germany, Bulgaria and Cameroon abstained in the vote.
"As we explained in our vote, we voted against it because we felt it was very unbalanced and it didn't condemn the terrorist acts that have occurred recently and it didn't make any mention of the terrorist issue, the terrorist infrastructure, the attacks by Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa [Martyrs] Brigade," U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte told reporters. "So, it was not an acceptable resolution from our point of view."
The American veto came after the United States suggested an alternate draft that would have also called on all parties in the Middle East struggle to dismantle terrorist groups.
The vote followed a fierce debate that saw many countries labeling Israel's fence as "racist," "colonialist," a "blatant land-grab," "worse than the Berlin Wall," "a crime against humanity", and an overreaction that would turn some parts of the Palestinian territories into "open-air prisons."
Palestinian UN representative Nasser Al Kidwa condemned the U.S. veto. "Continuous American vetoes threaten and undermine the American credibility as peacemaker in the Middle East," he said. "It affirms the conviction that it is completely biased in favor of Israel. And not only biased, but it is completely supportive of Israeli policies, including illegal policies."
Israel's UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman said in response, "The Palestinian observer should stop for once looking for someone else to blame, stop for once this charade, that the United Nations where high minded rhetoric is matched with resolutions designed to malign and distort, when all the while the Palestinian side refuses to do the one thing it is required to do, fight terrorism."
Gillerman said that if the Palestinians would fight terrorism, there would be no need for a security fence. "Those that allow terrorism to exist are the real factor behind the fence's construction," he said.
Israeli officials in New York said it was a shame that the Security Council wasted hours on discussions solely aimed to please the Palestinians without focusing on the need to fight terror, ynet reported. "Israel thanks the U.S. for casting its veto on a one-side resolution," the officials said.
The Palestinians will now take their proposed condemnation of the security fence to the UN General Assembly, where they have greater support for a non-binding resolution. In September, the General Assembly passed a resolution demanding Israel halt threats to expel Arafat by a vote of 133-4, with 15 abstentions. The United States, Israel, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands were the only countries to vote against the resolution.
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
