| Reacting to Israeli attacks on the Palestinian Authority and a U.S. veto in the Security Council, the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday backed a central role for Yasser Arafat in diplomatic efforts to end 15 months of Middle East violence. Following recent Israeli military strikes on Palestinian Authority targets and its declaration that Arafat was "irrelevant," one resolution approved by the assembly on Thursday stressed Arafat's administration "remains the indispensable and legitimate party for peace and needs to be preserved fully." Identical to the resolution vetoed last week by Washington, it also branded Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas "as illegal and an obstacle to peace." It was approved 124-6 with 25 abstentions. The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Tuvalu joined Israel and the United States in voting 'no', while most European nations voted for the resolution. Among those abstaining were Britain, Japan, Australia, Norway, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia. |