|
Israelâs Ambassador accuses UN of hypocrisy over Arafat
JPost - Reg Reqâd; EFLThe UN Security Council is set to being an open meeting soon on the Middle East sparked by palestinian protests over the governmentâs decision to remove Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat. In advance of the meeting, Ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman today Monday accused the Security Council of hypocrisy for considering the Palestinian resolution. Gillerman said the Security Council has met repeatedly to condemn Israeli actions, but ignores Palestinian suicide bombings and shooting attacks on Israelis. Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other members of the security Cabinet have made clear that the army has three options for "removing" Arafat: expulsion, assassination or laying a siege on his West Bank headquarters, including cutting off phone lines and electricity. kill.him.now The council began consultations on a resolution drafted by the Palestinians late Friday and then adjourned until today, despite Palestinian pressure for a quick vote. Council ambassadors said they wanted to consult their capitals and wait for the outcome of Secretary-General Kofi Annanâs meeting in Geneva on Saturday with the foreign ministers of the five permanent council nations - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France. Russia considers that any attempt by Israel to remove Arafat would be counterproductive and could lead to a serious global crisis in the Mideast, Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said. global crisis? why? An attempt to kill Arafat could lead to "an immense and wide scale growth in the threat of terrorism," he said. An attempt, yes; a successful dirt nap for the crusty bastard? Naaahhhh So far, the council has only issued a press statement saying "the removal of chairman Arafat would be unhelpful and should not be implemented." The statement, read by the council president, British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, reflected the consensus among the 15 council members. The government is trying to persuade the United States to veto the resolution, Gillerman said, but at the moment it seems more likely Washington will abstain, allowing the resolution to pass. The United States has in the past vetoed resolutions that it has felt are too hard on Israel. Without a U.S. veto, "we can expect a resolution, which the Palestinians and others are presenting as a moderate and lukewarm statement...but in my opinion the very fact of the meeting is proof...of the U.N.âs real hypocrisy," Gillerman said in an interview with Army Radio. UN Hypocrisy: Exhibit #5,347-A Posted by: Frank G 2003-09-15 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=18728 |