U.S. Opposes Any Security Council Action on Mideast Crisis
Holbrooke: Resolution would be unhelpful, undermine Annan's
efforts
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- The United States will oppose any efforts to involve
the Security Council in the new outbreak of violence in the West Bank
and Gaza October 12, U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said.
Holbrooke, who spoke with journalists outside the Security Council
chambers, said that the United States does not view the Palestinian
Authority's efforts to bring the issue to the council as helpful.
"It is hard to conceive of any action the Security Council could take
today which would be anything other than negative to an explosive
situation and further it would undermine the valiant efforts of the
secretary general," Holbrooke said.
"We will oppose any move to bring it back into the Security Council
and we will oppose any resolution that is introduced today," the
ambassador said.
The move for a Security Council meeting was prompted by Israeli
helicopter attacks against targets in the West Bank and Gaza after two
Israeli soldiers were killed by a mob in Ramallah.
Palestinian representative Nasser Al-Kidwa said that he was asking for
an immediate meeting of the council and the council should waste no
time in passing a resolution calling for a cease-fire, the adherence
to council resolutions 242 and 338, and the involvement of Secretary
General Kofi Annan.
If the council fails to act, Al-Kidwa said, he will ask the General
Assembly to reconvene the 10th emergency session of the General
Assembly under the so-called "uniting for peace" resolution.
Holbrooke said that Security Council resolution 1322 (which passed by
a vote of 14 to
"We have made this view abundantly clear this morning to our friends
and colleagues in the Security Council. That is where we stand right
now," he said.
"I do not see any value in any further resolutions here at this time
in that framework," the ambassador said. "I'm not ruling out future
resolutions if they are balanced and productive and involve the
consent and participation of all the parties."
"If there is any movement to bring this back into the Security Council
the Untied States will make clear its strong opposition," he said.
Holbrooke said that the United States is supporting the peace efforts
of Secretary General Kofi Annan who is in the Middle East. President
Clinton has been in touch with the secretary general continuously over
the last two or three days, he noted.
Namibia Ambassador Martin Andjaba, president of the Security Council,
said that he was trying to get in touch with Annan for an update in
order to brief the council. After talking with the secretary general,
Andjaba said, the council will decide how to proceed.
Holbrooke said that "the secretary general himself can speak to
whether he thinks it would be helpful but...every indication we have
is that such a session would not help his efforts and, in any case, we
do not think it would help peace in the region."
In a statement issued in Beirut October 12 before he left for Israel
and Gaza, Annan appealed to "leaders and citizens alike to stop and
think about what they are doing today and what kind of tomorrow they
want for their children."
"Violence breeds violence. I urge you to opt for restraint," the
secretary general said.
"The news of the West Bank violence this morning was chilling. It
comes on top of two weeks of tragedy, during which over a hundred
people were killed and a thousand wounded -- mostly Palestinians but
also Israelis. We are at risk of seeing a dangerous situation escalate
to a crisis that could destabilize an entire region," he said.
"Yesterday, I announced the decision by the Israeli and Palestinian
leadership to convene an urgent meeting of the trilateral security
committee chaired by the United States. The need for such a meeting is
now all the more urgent," Annan said.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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