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| Today: 09 February 2010 Time: 05:16 PM |
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| Kumalo regrets UNSC failed to address Gaza situation under his presidency |
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| Politics 5/1/2008 12:15:00 AM |
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UNITED NATIONS, April 30 (KUNA) -- Security Council President Dumisani
Kumalo of South Africa late Wednesday expressed regret that the body failed to
address the humanitarian situation in Gaza during his presidency.
"The most frustrating experience we had was that we could not have the
council to pronounce itself on the humanitarian situation in the middle East,
particularly in Gaza. the difficulties for that are well known," Kumalo told a
press conference on the last day of his council presidency, in an indirct
reference to the US which has always blocked any council action on the issue.
But Kumalo referred to the "most unfortunate" incident that complicated the
situation when the Libyan deputy Ambassador compared during the debate on the
issue the humanitarian situation in Gaza to what happened in the concentration
camps during the Nazi period.
"This is unfortunate because we can't imagine how we could even compare the
tragedies that happened in the concentration camps, because they don't compare
at all," he said.
"Unfortunately this emotional outburst (by Libya) diverted us from
addressing the fundamental issue that this council will have to deal with,
particularly the situation in the Palestinian occupied lands," he noted.
On the issue of Western Sahara and the draft resolution that the council
would adopt later in the day to extend the mandate of the UN force there
(MINURSO) for one more year, Kumalo expressed regret that each time there is a
resolution on the issue "there is always a new language that tilts towards
Morocco".
This language is "unnecessary," he said.
What also bothers him, he added, is the use of the word "realism" in the
draft resolution when it comes to the Polisario Front only, even though the
Secretary-General called on both parties - Morocco and the Polisario Front -
to find a way out of the current political impasse through "realism and a
spirit of compromise from both parties".
"I will tell them when we adopt the resolution that we have to be careful
about this realism, because if we are in the business of realism, we should
tell the palestinians to become real and accept their fate, tell the Serbs to
be real and accept Kosovo. If you are going to have realism, do it all over
the place, don't just do it to the poor Sahrawis because they are weak, they
are not Morocco which is supported by the big permanent ones," he argued.
On the issue of Peacekeeping, he said "unfortunately, it has become very
expensive because it has favoured the big countries".
He noted that the procurements for the UN Peacekeeping forces in Africa,
such in the DR Congo, cost a lot of money to transfer them by air, while the
UN can get the same procurements from near by countries like South Africa or
Tanzania. (end)
sj.tg
KUNA 010015 May 08NNNN
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