Middle East - AP
U.S., Algeria at Odds on Hamas Statement
Date: Tue, Mar 23, 2004
By NICK WADHAMS, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS - The United States and Algeria could not agree Tuesday on a U.N. Security Council statement that would have condemned Israel's assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin.
Delegations had been meeting Monday and Tuesday to discuss a proposed text circulated by Algeria, the only Arab nation on the council, that would have had the president of the Security Council condemn the killing.
But Algeria later withdrew the statement after the United States insisted on language in the document that would have condemned recent terrorist activities by Hamas, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said.
"The essential point here was that the proponents of this statement did not want to refer to terrorism conducted by Hamas and that was the fundamental objection we had," Negroponte said.
The Palestinians then called for an open meeting of the Security Council to discuss Yassin's killing, which took place in Gaza City early Monday.
France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, said it was likely that Israel's foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, would appear at Tuesday afternoon's meeting, when all U.N. delegations that want to can speak about the subject.
The Palestinians have drafted a resolution for the Security Council condemning the assassination, a spokesman from the Palestinian observer mission to the United Nations (news - web sites) said. The United States would almost certainly veto that resolution.
Such maneuvers have occurred several times in the past: the Palestinians introduce a resolution to the council condemning an Israeli action, forcing a U.S. veto because of the American policy that such resolutions also condemn attacks by Palestinian militant groups. The Palestinians then seek a resolution from the U.N. General Assembly, where no nation has veto power.
In Geneva meanwhile, the top U.N. human rights body decided Tuesday to hold Israel to account for its killing of Yassin.
The 53-nation U.N. Human Rights Commission approved a resolution from the Organization of the Islamic Conference to hold a special debate Wednesday on the assassination.
Developing countries, which make up most of the watchdog's membership, mustered 34 votes in favor of the resolution. The United States, Australia and Eritrea voted against. Fourteen countries, mostly from Europe, abstained.
Israeli Ambassador Yaakov Levy condemned the commission's move.
"It will be the first time in the history of the United Nations that a session is dedicated to lauding, supporting, glorifying a major leader of a terrorist organization. A new low, the worst ever," he told the commission.
Hamas has claimed responsibility for many of the suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis over the past 3 1/2 years.
If the commission decides to condemn Israel's actions, the country will face no penalties. Censure by the U.N. body simply draws attention to a country's human rights record.
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Associated Press reporter Jonathan Fowler in Geneva contributed to this report.
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