Posted on 12/07/2005 8:32:09 AM PST by Ooh-Ah
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.S. Ambassador John Bolton criticized Algeria for blocking a U.N. Security Council statement blaming Islamic Jihad for a suicide bombing in Israel and urging Syria to shut the militant group's offices in Damascus.
Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Baali accused the American envoy of being "totally inaccurate and unfair."
It was a rare outburst by Bolton against a fellow member of the Security Council, and drew a strong rebuke from Baali who complained Tuesday that the American envoy's "take it or leave it" approach went against the council's give-and-take tradition of doing business.
Bolton said the United States had drafted a statement for the Security Council to adopt on Monday's suicide bombing in the coastal city of Netanya which killed five Israelis and injured more than 35 others. It was the fifth since Israel and the Palestinians forged a cease-fire in February and Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for all of them, saying its attacks are in response to Israeli violations of the truce.
The draft U.S. press statement "unequivocally" condemned the terrorist attack, denounced all acts of terrorism and urged all parties to exercise restraint. It urged the Syrian government to take immediate action to close the offices of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and "prevent the use of its territory by armed groups engaged in terrorist acts," and support progress on the so-called road map to Middle East peace.
Bolton said "Algeria objected to the reference to Syria and to the reference to Palestinian Islamic Jihad" even though the group claimed responsibility for the attack and the Palestinians said the orders came from Damascus.
"We are simply not going to accept watering down of Security Council press statements, and failing to name the names of the people responsible, in this case for terrorist attacks," he said.
Bolton said there was "nothing left to negotiate" so he decided to act alone and read the statement to reporters on behalf of the United States.
Baali strongly disagreed with Bolton, saying the United States wanted the text adopted without any discussion. When Algeria, Russia and others proposed amendments and asked for a meeting of council experts to discuss the draft, he said, the United States withdrew it.
"I think the attitude of the United States is take it or leave it," Baali said. He said Bolton's claim that Algeria opposed references to Syria and Islamic Jihad were "not true."
"We didn't even have the opportunity to discuss it," Baali said. "We had no chance to express our views, and I am confident if we had had such a meeting we would have been able to come up with a balanced text. This is the way the Security Council ... has always functioned."
The U.S. stand that "you take it or you leave it is not helping the Security Council, and is not helping the cause of peace in the Middle East," he said.
"went against the council's give-and-take tradition of doing business"
Meaning, went against the council's determination never to say anything critical of the terrorists, and never to say anything which might remotely be construed to be in Israel's favor.
This is rich. The terrorists and their allies the American DemocRAT party are gonna get steamrolled by Bolton. America doesn't have to take this garbage anymore. Time to take out the trash: the Eurotrash, the african trash, the fascist trash.
"It was a rare outburst by Bolton against a fellow member of the Security Council, and drew a strong rebuke from Baali who complained Tuesday that the American envoy's 'take it or leave it' approach went against the council's give-and-take tradition of doing business."
Yeah - we give, they take.
I think it is getting pretty obvious. Use the same tactics that the Republicans used against the democrats. Demand an up or down vote in the UN either condemning terrorism or supporting it. Cut relations with any country not condemning it and declare them enemies in the war on terror.
A new sheriff in town boys!
On another thread someone said "wish we could clone Bolton". I agree!
The UN should start to realize the Honeymoon Period is over and Bolton is in charge.
"I think the attitude of the United States is take it or leave it,"
Yeah cold blooded murder of innocents, yeah guess we are kinda sensitive about that.... we americans are just so narrow minded. /sarcasm
> ... the American envoy's "take it or leave it" approach
> went against the council's give-and-take tradition of
> doing business.
The days of "business as usual" are over at the UN, but
some of the perps don't yet realize it.
Yep they have no idea how much has changed since 9/11.
Syria allows terrorists to operate out of their country and its not even below ground? I mean, they let Islamic Jihad have offices that they, and the rest of the world know about and Syria hasn't been invaded yet? WTF is going on?
Give 'em hell John!
This may have given them all the idea that the old ways of doing things at the U.N. are gone, and we will play for "keeps" from now on. Forget the namby-pamby ways of yesteryear, and get ready for in-your-face diplomacy. I hope Amb. Bolton tears them a "new one", kicks ass, and takes names. They are long overdue, and it's about time to play hardball with these feckless wonders at the U.N.
There is absolutely NO compromise in calling it exactly what it is. Murder is murder and if fanatic islamites don't want the truth of their nasty laundry aired all over, they'd best change their wardrobe.
Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Baali accused the American envoy of being "totally inaccurate and unfair."
Which parts, exactly?
Only in the Alice-in-Wonderland world of the United Nations, can two starkly impossibly contradictory statements be discussed seriously, and with a straight face.
Wasn't Algeria the home of the PLO?
Mark
I think you mean Tunis, Tunisia.
It's a meaningless piece of paper, why get all excited?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.