UNITED NATIONS, March 28: The United States used its veto power to kill a UN Security Council resolution that would have backed the creation of an international observer force to help protect civilians in the West Bank and Gaza.
The United States opposed this resolution because it is unbalanced
and unworkable and hence unwise.
chief American representative
James Cunningham said. It is more responsive to political theatre
than political reality.
The vote was nine to one, with four abstentions. Ukraine did not vote.
In favour were Bangladesh, Colombia, Jamaica, Mali, Mauritius, Singapore, Tunisia, Russia and China. Abstaining were Britain, France, Ireland and Norway.
At issue is a repeat appeal by Palestinians for the Security Council to state its willingness to send unarmed UN observers to the West Bank and Gaza, even if Israel refuses to allow them into the territories.
The United States has been in marathon negotiations for five days on a European compromise text that would not commit the council to any specific action without the agreement of Israel and the Palestinians.
Palestinians and their supporters said they called for a vote before an Arab summit ended in Jordan on Wednesday after the United States had wanted another delay.
Bangladesh's ambassador said the seven sponsors of the resolution had
to press for a vote because timing was absolutely essential
.
Cunningham cast the first veto for the United States since March 1997, when Washington twice vetoed a resolution demanding Israel halt work on Jewish housing projects on grounds the issue should not be brought to the United Nations.
But in this case, the Bush administration had negotiated intensively in trying to reach agreement with the Palestinians. US delegates had agreed to criticize Israel on several points, including settlements, the closure of its crossings and the withholding of taxes from the Palestinian Authority.
Western diplomats said the move for a vote before an Arab summit ended appeared to be aimed at embarrassing Washington and Israel.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, diplomats said, also tried to avert a veto and pushed Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at the Amman summit to continue negotiations and not estrange himself from the new US government. His plea worked for about 12 hours only.
Nasser al-Kidwa, the chief Palestinian delegate, told the council,
There was no way to give up or go a step backward by giving up the
legitimate needs of our people, including the need for international
protection.
But Israeli ambassador Yehuda Lancry said that the current
Palestinian initiative represents a blatant attempt to obscure the
strategic choice to engage in violence and terrorism. The Security
Council must not endorse such a choice by coming to the aid of those
who initiate hostile confrontations
.
A resolution needs nine yes
votes and no veto from any of the
five permanent council members to be adopted in the 15-nation body. A
measure calling for a UN observer force failed in December because it
obtained only eight votes, sparing Washington the use of its veto.
At that time, Russia abstained with Western countries rather than vote in favour. Diplomats said Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres had appealed to Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov only days before Tuesday's vote.
The envoys speculated Russia may have been reacting to the biggest
tit-for-tat spy scandal with the United States since the Cold War when
Washington expelled four diplomats last week and said 46 more should
leave by July.
-Reuters
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