|
Un calls withdrawl Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20020330/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_mideast_29http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20020330/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_mideast_29
U.N. Calls on Israel to Withdraw
Sat Mar 30, 8:26 AM ET
By GERALD NADLER, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United States joined other U.N. Security Council
members Saturday in adopting a resolution that calls on Israel to withdraw
its troops from Palestinian cities, including Ramallah, where Yasser
Arafat (news - web sites)'s headquarters is under siege.
Reuters
Mideast Conflict
Audio/Video
U.N. Calls on Israel to Withdraw (AP)
The 14-0 vote, at 4:30 a.m. EST, capped a marathon emergency session
called at the request of the Palestinians. It came a day after Israel
declared the Palestinian leader an enemy and, vowing to isolate him,
launched an extensive military campaign in response to a series of attacks
on Israeli civilians.
It was the second time in a month that the United States, Israel's closest
ally, approved a Mideast resolution, after years of abstaining and vetoing
Council measures critical of Israel. On March 13, the United States voted
with the council to approve a resolution calling for a Palestinian state.
In Jerusalem, the Foreign Ministry responded by saying Israel "has no
interest" in remaining in Palestinian areas.
"It would have been preferable if the resolution had more clearly stressed
the Palestinian responsibility for the deplorable terrorist attacks, which
constitute the sole reason for the Israel army's present operations," the
statement said.
Saturday's vote was boycotted by Syria, Israel's most hard-line neighbor,
which sought a resolution making no reference to Palestinian suicide
bombings. The resolution adopted by the council expresses "grave
concern" about the recent suicide bombings in Israel, and the Israeli raid
on Arafat's West Bank compound.
It was the first boycott of a council vote in 42 years, dating back to
1960 when the Soviet Union stayed away from a session that created a
peacekeeping mission in the Congo.
Syria's U.N. ambassador Mikhail Wehbe said he stayed away because the
resolution did not condemn Israeli attacks against Palestinians. He also
said that it did not note the initiative of this week's Arab summit in
Lebanon to achieve "a global, comprehensive peace, a just peace, a
permanent peace in the area."
"We tried our best to get a resolution that would address the aspirations
of the Arab group, but unfortunately we did not find it to the level that
we hoped," Wehbe said.
The adopted resolution calls on "both parties to move immediately to a
meaningful cease-fire; calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from
Palestinian cities, including Ramallah; and calls upon the parties to
cooperate fully with (U.S.) Special Envoy (Anthony) Zinni" to work to get
a cease-fire and start negotiations for a political settlement.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) opened a five-hour
public debate of the resolution, introduce by Norway on Friday, by urging
Israel to stop its assault on Arafat's compound, saying destroying it will
not bring peace.
Calling suicide bombings "repugnant," he said they subverted all peace
attempts.
Deputy U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham warned Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) and his government "to carefully consider
the consequences" of attacking Arafat's headquarters.
Cunningham said Arafat must not be harmed.
"Chairman Arafat is the leader of the Palestinian people. His leadership
is now, and will be, central to any meaningful effort to restore
calm," Cunningham said.
The meeting concluded a tumultuous week in Middle East politics Arab
League nations endorsed a Saudi peace plan, a suicide bomber killed 22
Passover diners, and Sharon vowed that Israel would "isolate" Arafat with
a massive military push.
U.N. envoy Nasser al-Kidwa called the Ramallah assault more "insane" steps
by Sharon. "Any harm to President Arafat would be the mother of all these
mistakes," he said.
Israel's U.N. Ambassador Yehuda Lancry blamed Arafat for the crisis,
saying the militants find sanctuary in his headquarters.
"Chairman Arafat has made it abundantly clear both through his actions and
inactions that the murder of innocent Israeli civilians is legitimate and
desirable and that somehow terrorism and dialogue can live side by
side," he said.
|
|
