UN Council fails to agree on Hizbollah-Israel clash

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The 15-member U.N. Security Council failed to agree on how to condemn Monday's deadly clash between Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrillas and Israeli forces, mainly because of disputes between the United States and Algeria, diplomats said.

Pro-Syrian Hizbollah guerrillas raided north Israel in an unsuccessful attempt to capture Israeli troops, triggering the worst round of fighting since Israel pulled out of south Lebanon five years ago. Four Hizbollah fighters were killed.

After several hours of negotiations, Security Council members gave up trying to amend a statement, drafted by France, that would have condemned "military exchanges initiated by Hizbollah" as well as "Israeli violations of Lebanese air space."

The United States wanted the reference to Israel deleted and Algeria, the only Arab member of the council, objected to putting the blame on Hizbollah, according to participants at the consultations.

Members agreed to have further discussions but envoys acknowledged the momentum was lost.

The council's deliberations followed a statement issued in Jerusalem by the visiting U.N. undersecretary-general for political affairs, Ibrahim Gambari. He condemned the clash, which "according to available information began from the Lebanese side" and called on all parties to "cease fire immediately."

Gambari said the attacks again showed the importance of the Lebanese government extending control over all its territory, a reference to Hizbollah's domination of the south. The Beirut government has been unable to disarm Hizbollah as demanded by U.N. Security Council resolution 1559, adopted in September 2004.

Lebanese security sources said Hizbollah guerrillas raided Israeli posts in the Israeli part of the divided border village of Ghajar in an attempt to capture Israelis to exchange for Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

It was the biggest attack in the border area since Israeli troops withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000 and triggered hours of Israeli airstrikes and fierce artillery and rocket duels.

The United States condemned the attack as deliberately provocative, saying it had been timed to coincide with Lebanon's independence day Tuesday. But it urged restraint from Israel.

Source

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