Arab group press on sending UN observer force to Palestinian territories
Regional-Palestine, Politics, 12/9/2000

To protect Palestinians in the occupied lands, the Arab group at the United Nations said it will resort to the General Assembly if one of the five permanent Security Council members uses its veto power to block sending an observer force to Palestinian territories.

The decision was adopted at a meeting Wednesday night of the Arab Troika with the current Security Council President, the Russian Ambassador Serjey Lavorov, who expressed Moscow's support to the Arab proposal.

At a previous meeting held under the chairmanship of Egypt's Permanent Delegate to the UN Ambassador Ahmed Abul-Gheit, the Arab group instructed the Troika to confer with the Security Council's president to examine the Arab demands at the Council.

"Egypt is the current chairman of the Arab group. The Troika and the head of the Arab League office in New York, affirmed the Arab desire to vote in favor of a draft resolution presented by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries at the Security Council before Friday," Abul-Gheit said.

But the Security Council's deliberations on the draft resolution presented by NAM states last week to form a UN observer force to be spread around Palestinian lands reached a dead end.

A diplomatic source said after a session of talks at the Council last night it was unlikely for an agreement to be reached given Washington's insistence that before it could take any decision, Israel will have to endorse the sending of the observer force first.

This condition was set although American officials previously stated they did not object to the principle itself of sending observers, the source added, stressing that if Washington does not change its position, it would be impossible to endorse the draft resolution.

Meantime, Palestinian Representative to the UN Nasser al Kodwa told Middle East News Agency (MENA) that Palestinians do not accept the American condition that Israel, the occupier, would have to endorse the draft resolution first.

"Israel, as the occupier, does not have the right to set preconditions for the endorsement of a draft resolution," he said.

"We still think that the draft resolution must be endorsed and that the Security Council must take a measure in line with the UN Charter. If not, we will have to take another track," he added.

Regarding the French attempts to reach a formula acceptable to the various parties, Kodwa said "We are not seeking impediments, but we are trying to facilitate matters, and we are ready to discuss any proposal that leads to the placement of international observers on the ground." Friday remains the final date for taking measures on the part of the Security Council, "and we must seek another solution if the Council does not take action," he added.

Previous Stories:
  Urgent meeting in Cairo in preparations for the Arab follow up committee meeting   (12/5/2000)
  Arab Committee Drafts Plan for International Action for Backing Intifadah   (12/4/2000)
  International colloquy on al-Quds calls for urgent protection of Palestinian people   (11/16/2000)

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