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U.S. and developing countries at odds over Mideast resolution |
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October 7, 2000
UNITED NATIONS, OCT 6 (AP) - The United States and developing countries remained at odds over a Security Council resolution condemning violence committed by Israel security forces against Palestinians. The Non-Aligned Movement of mostly developing nations is pressing for speedy council condemnation of Israeli forces following a wave of violence since Sept. 28 that claimed at least 68 lives and injured nearly 1,900 people, nearly all of them Palestinian. But the United States, Israel's staunchest supporter on the 15-member council, opposes any resolution that will interfere with the Middle East peace process, which has been badly battered by the violence. "We're going to go and see if we can get a text that is constructive and helps the process," deputy U.S. ambassador James Cunningham said before the late-night council meeting Thursday to discuss a draft resolution introduced by Malaysia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. The original Malaysian draft introduced Thursday morning would condemn "the acts of violence committed by the Israeli security forces and their excessive use of force resulting in injury and loss of human life." It also stressed the need "for a speedy inquiry" aimed at preventing a repetition of the violence. A revised draft which ambassadors were handed at the start of Thursday night's meeting would condemn "the use of deadly force by Israeli security forces resulting in injury and loss of human life." The draft, hammered out by council experts during the day, also stressed the need "for a speedy international inquiry." Both call for an immediate cessation of the violence and resumption of negotiations. At the start of Thursday night's meeting, the United States asked to return to the original draft as a basis of discussion because it did not refer to an "international inquiry" and had a less strident condemnation of Israel, Western diplomats said. The discussion continued into the early hours Friday. The Palestinian U.N. observer Nasser Al-Kidwa has called for an international inquiry, but Israel opposes an international inquiry - particularly one by the United Nations - fearing that it would be biased against the Jewish state. The United States also has problems with the draft resolution's call for Israel to "abide scrupulously" by the Fourth Geneva Convention, which says an occupying power must guarantee the protection of civilians in areas it occupies. The United States objected to such calls earlier this week because it doesn't want any resolution describing east Jerusalem as occupied. Washington maintains the status of Jerusalem must be worked out in negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. The council started debating the draft resolution after speeches by some 50 ambassadors over three days, mainly denouncing Israel. Arab and Muslim nations accused Israel of using excessive force in quelling Palestinian protests sparked by last week's visit by right-wing politician Ariel Sharon to a Jerusalem compound sacred to Muslims and Jews. Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Lancry told the council at the conclusion of the three-day open meeting that Sharon had a democratic right to visit the site - and that the government couldn't "thwart" the visit. He called the debate serious but "bitter," criticizing Bahrain for indirectly referring to the Nazis and Iraq for denying the right of Israel to exist. Israel's heart was broken over the death of 12-year-old Mohammed Jamal Aldura, who was caught in cross fire and died in his father's arms, Lancry said. "We weep together with the Palestinians, not against them and we weep for those who have died." But Al-Kidwa, the Palestinian observer, criticized Lancry's condolences, saying they were only proffered because a television camera had caught the boy's death. Israel must acknowledge responsibility for the violence and as a first step it should stop making "shameless allegations" that the Palestinians incited the violence, he said. "Without doing this it would not be possible for Israelis to claim that it wants to make peace with the Palestinian people," Al-Kidwa said.
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