LOC09:04
06:04 GMT
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 7 (KUNA) -- While Palestinian Ambassador to the UN
Riyad Mansour expressed hope that the Security Council will vote on a draft
resolution condemning the Israeli settlement activities in the occupied land
by January 19, some council members were not so sure it would ever happen.
Mansour told KUNA late Thursday, following a meeting of an Arab-Islamic
delegation with the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) members in the Council, "We
discussed the time lines and language. Lebanon and Palestine will be
responsible for negotiating the process. We will finish this exercise
hopefully sometime next week and produce the text in blue (ready to be voted
on)."
After that, "we want the council to be ready to take action on the draft,
possibly on the 19th," the day the council is scheduled to hold its monthly
meeting on the situation in the Middle East, he added.
Mansour, accompanied by the representatives of the Arab League, Egypt, as
the Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, Tajikistan, as Chairman of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, Senegal, as Chairman of the UN
Palestinian Rights Committee, and Tunisia, as Chairman of the Arab group, met
with the Council NAM members to discuss the issue.
The council's NAM members are Colombia, group coordinator, Lebanon, India,
South Africa, Gabon and Nigeria.
Mansour said two other council members, Brazil and Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the Council's current President, joined the meeting even though they are not
NAM members.
He expressed satisfaction that nine of the council 15 members, including
two permanent members with veto power, already recognize the State of
Palestine.
The nine are Lebanon, South Africa, India, Gabon, Nigeria, Bosnia, Brazil,
China and Russia.
Nigerian Ambassador Joy Ogwu told KUNA following the meeting that no
decision was taken.
"We are still going to meet again," he said.
India's Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri expressed skepticism to KUNA
following the meeting that the draft will be put to a vote.
"I don't think so," he said.
The Arab draft resolution circulated to council members late last month
would have the council "reiterate its demand" that Israel "immediately and
completely" cease all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including East Jerusalem, and urge the parties to continue their
negotiations on the final status issues "in the interest of the promotion of
peace and security."
It would also have the council reaffirm that the Israeli settlements built
since 1967 are "illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of
a just, lasting and comprehensive peace."
Asked whether the Arab-Islamic group will push for a vote in the Council on
the draft text despite the US objection, Mansour said while "in substance, the
US position is well known, that settlements have no legitimacy and constitute
an obstacle to peace, it (US) is of the opinion that the council should not be
involved in this issue."
However, "we are engaging everyone, including the US. We hope that the US
will be on board on the (draft) text or at least not to obstruct the council
(with a veto) from adopting the resolution," he said.
"Our objective," he argued, "is not to be confrontational with anyone. Our
objective is to deal with the global assessment that settlements, in addition
to being illegal, are an obstacle to peace, and we want to remove this
obstacle from the path of the peace process in order to enhance the chances of
negotiations to succeed."
Moreover, he added, "we are implementing the instructions given to us" by
the Arab ministerial committee authorized from the Arab summit which decided
in Cairo, after the US failed to convince Israel to extend the moratorium on
settlement freeze, to have the council vote on the resolution.
"So far we are moving in that direction, of having action from the council
on this issue," he explained.
He said it would be "mind boggling" if the council cannot act on this issue
which enjoys a global consensus.
"We are telling the US that if 190 countries at the UN are saying the right
things and Israel continues to do the wrong things and there are no
consequences, then what would be the incentive for Israel to change its
behavior," he wondered.
"This is high time to dig our heels, all of us and tell Israel to budge and
it is not going to get away with the continuation of the violation of
international law and Council resolutions and its obligations under the Road
Map," he stressed. (end)
sj.ris
KUNA 070904 Jan 11NNNN