 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
|
 |
| Libya urges UN to take up Israeli settlements |
|
|
|
Thursday, November 26, 2009
UNITED NATIONS: Libya indicated on Tuesday it would introduce a fresh draft resolution before the UN Security Council demanding that Israel end its settlement activity in Palestinian territory.
“We are discussing it with the Palestinians and other members of the Security Council. We are going to do that, yes,” Libya’s UN Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham told reporters about the plans.
Arab countries could quickly reach an agreement on the principles and terms of the text, perhaps before the Muslim Eid ul-Azha holiday on Friday, he said. Countries had already prepared a similar text in July 2008, Shalgham recalled.
Libya, the only Arab country currently holding a seat on the Security Council, had been dissuaded at the time from pushing for a vote in the face of a likely veto from the United States, Israel’s staunchest ally.
And the US deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Alejandro Wolff, indicated that Washington would again oppose any such measure.
“He has lots of ideas,” Wolff said, breaking into a big smile when asked about the Libyan ambassador’s proposal.
The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations blasted the Jewish settlements, a thorny issue in long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, as “illegal” and the “the main obstacle on the path of the peace process.”
Riyad Mansur called for “a collective effort to bring Israel into compliance with the requirement of peace if we want to find a way to move forward.”
The Palestinians have said Israel must halt all settlement activity before the resumption of peace negotiations that were suspended during the Gaza war at the turn of the year. Arab countries have backed the move by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and rejected US calls to begin normalizing ties with Israel ahead of a peace deal.
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
