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U.S. Vetoes Palestinian Protection
UNITED NATIONS, March 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Several countries reacted furiously Wednesday to a U.S. decision to veto moves in the United Nations Security Council to establish an international observer force in order to help protect Palestinians from what several international human rights organizations have called excessive use of violence by Israel, news agencies said.
In a move welcomed by Israel and in its first U.N. veto since 1997, acting U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham expressed "great regret" in casting his "no" vote, news agencies reported. The United States had tried to avoid using its veto, worried that it would inflame passions in the West Bank and Gaza and infuriate Arab nations.
"The United States opposed this resolution because it is unbalanced and unworkable and hence unwise," Cunningham told the council. "It is more responsive to political favor than political reality."
Cunningham said the United States believed the strategy outlined in the proposal was not feasible without an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians themselves.
The U.S. has only vetoed five resolutions since 1990, all of them dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. The last one, in 1997, blocked a resolution demanding that Israel stop the construction of a settlement in east Jerusalem.
Palestinians reacted with disgust to the veto late Tuesday.
"This is unfortunate, especially in the light of the fact that this is a new administration and we were hoping for this administration to demonstrate a more balanced position,'' said Palestinian representative Nasser Al-Kidwa.
Palestinians have repeatedly called for the Security Council to at least send unarmed observers to the West Bank and Gaza, even if Israel refuses to allow them into the territories.
The Palestinians were eager for a result from the Council before a summit of Arab leaders in the Jordanian capital, Amman, concludes Wednesday.
Correspondents say that although there can be no observer force without Israeli consent, Arab countries want the Council to acknowledge that help is needed.
Iran on Wednesday denounced the United States veto as "deplorable".
"This unacceptable and deplorable veto shows the U.S. government's flagrant support for the Zionist regime's policies of repression and violence, and its approval of the ongoing massacres in the occupied territories," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said.
Asefi, quoted by the official IRNA news agency, said the veto would only "provoke the growing disappointment of the courageous Palestinian people," and he warned against a worsening of the situation in the region.
"While the international community wants by all means to avoid further massacres of the Palestinian people, this veto goes against the wishes of international opinion and is therefore unacceptable," he said.
In Amman, Arab leaders expressed "deep regret" over the U.S. veto after rallying behind Arafat, who on Tuesday accused Israel of plotting to "kill the peace process."
Israel has opposed sending a U.N. observer force and desires direct talks with the Palestinians instead, claiming that increased U.N. involvement would only make the crisis in the Middle East worse.
Mary Ellen Countryman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council, said Wednesday that the resolution insufficiently addressed that civilians on both sides (Palestinians and Israelis) need to be protected, and was not clear about the responsibility of Palestinian leaders to take concrete steps to end the violence.
"The draft we vetoed was an attempt to begin a process to impose an international force on the parties without the consent of both,'' she said.
After five days of around-the-clock negotiations, four western European representatives (Britain, France, Norway and Ireland) and Ukraine - of the 15 Security Council seats - abstained, while nine council members voted for the resolution.
These included seven members of the non-aligned movement, supported by Russia and China.
Russia provided the necessary ninth vote after switching its position it held in December, when it abstained along with the United States on a similar measure calling for observer force that failed for lack of votes.
Only the five permanent council members - the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain - can issue vetoes, but they try to be sparing with them, in part because vetoes anger less powerful members who are resentful that five countries can essentially dictate U.N. policy.
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