Politics - AFP
UN debate on Israel barrier diverting Mideast peace effort: US
Date: Sat, Jul 17, 2004
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said current UN debate on a draft resolution demanding Israel comply with a world court ruling and tear down part of its West Bank barrier was distracting efforts to achieve Middle East peace.
"Everybody should be looking at how their energy, their efforts and their voices can be added to the process of moving forward on the roadmap," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters.
He was referring to the so-called roadmap for Middle East peace unveiled a year ago with great fanfare but which has made little progress in bringing an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It envisages the creation of a Palestinian state by next year although this timetable is now seen as unrealistic.
In the debate at the UN General Assembly Friday, the Palestinians called on Israel to heed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision last week that the barrier was illegal and that parts built on Palestinian territory must be dismantled.
It also said Israel should pay damages to the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) has already said that construction would continue and that Israel would ignore the court ruling.
Boucher said the United States had made clear its view that the ICJ decision did not need to result in any General Assembly action and "that the efforts to advance the peace process that we're engaged in is where the focus should be."
Asked whether the US would vote against the resolution, Boucher said: "We don't think it should be there.
"If it comes to a vote, then I think we would express that in our vote."
The UN General Assembly, which groups all 191 UN member states, is expected to pass the resolution, but Arab nations have been lobbying for days to get the European Union (news - web sites) to add its support to the measure.
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding and Kidwa vowed to push for a binding resolution at the UN Security Council, even though such a move would all but certainly draw a veto from the United States.
SOURCE
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