Posted on 07/07/2006 7:30:19 PM PDT by SmithL
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the UN Security Council on Friday to take a stand on Israel's violent standoff with Hamas, as diplomats continued to grapple with a draft resolution proposed by Qatar.
The council has been stymied because several council members rejected a draft that would have condemned Israel's offensive. They said it was unfairly critical of the Israelis and did not mention Palestinian abuses.
As a result, the Security Council, which is the United Nations' most powerful body, has been silent on one of the worst crises to hit the Middle East in years. In two days of airstrikes, Israeli troops have killed 31 Palestinians as part of a campaign aimed at stopping rocket attacks on Israel and pressuring the Hamas government to secure the release of 19-year-old Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
Hamas said Friday that Shalit, seized June 25, is alive and being treated well. It also urged Israel to negotiate.
Annan's appeal - in which he urged the council to take a clear position on the situation - was brief, but it could be seen as a relatively rare rebuke of the council. It also reflected Annan's impatience that the council had not addressed the issue in any way.
On Thursday, Qatar circulated a draft resolution demanding that Israel end the offensive in the Gaza Strip and release the Palestinian officials it has arrested.
It faced immediate opposition from the United States and France. On Friday, a UN diplomat said the draft only had the support of one or two members of the 15-nation council, and Qatar was reworking it. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the text.
In his statement, Annan again appealed to Israel and the Palestinians to "pull back from the brink for the sake of all civilians in the region." He called on Israel to halt what he said was the disproportionate use of force, demanded Shalit's release, and reminded both sides of their humanitarian obligation to spare civilians from violence.
yeah... why are they not asking the other side to give back the soldier? simple as that. the UN is evil
Or what Kofi?
Palestinians need to give the soldier back and stop shooting rockets in to Isreal. The Jews will leave them alone. If not the Palestinians deserve everything the Jews dish out.
I hate the un, sorry, worthless bastards. (pardon my french)
Excusez moi?
One other problem. The fact that the sandroaches keep attacking Israel. They wanted Hamas. They got Hamas. They can die with Hamas. Too bad.
"Go to hell Annan"
I disagree. It's his job to seek peace through UN offices, even when it will go nowhere.
USSR isn't running to push "action", it doesn't exist. The "Europeans" are not making noise, the Arabs not much also.
Nobody cares. Hamas is ugly. That's the real story.
I wish someone from the administration would step forward and explain why we continue this charade with the UN. I'm sure there is an explanation but it's got me baffled.
Level Gaza and cover with landmines and expell all the Pali's.....end of problem
How dare the Israeli's to try to defend themselves--the UN's solution--let the Jews march into the sea and solve the problem...after all, if all of the Jews (and Christians) are dead, then Islam is truly the religion of peace that President Bush was bragging about...
The implication here is that Israelis are brandishing violence against the peaceful Palistinians (after all, they are members of the religion of peace :-) ).
sigh.
But be of good cheer - Annan only has a few months left!
Yep and thr AP should stop their Isamic pandering in presenting the story. silence from the security council is about the best thing one could hope for from the hopeless UN.
Kofi Annan only has a couple of months left: But then some other POS from some third world country will probably take over.
Kofi has only a few months left in his sinecure. I wonder if he will go back from whence he came when the time comes to go, or throw himself on the mercy of the French, Brits or Americans as a political exile who can't go home again, by virtue of the lack of amenities, style, grace, good restaurants, etc. He seems to have made plenty of money, so he'll be a quality refugee as long as he avoids the wacky world of Islam and a good bit of the rest of the wacky world. Funny how refugees tend to favor western civilisation. The rest of the world doesn't get many!
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