The UN Security Council unanimously approved a weak statement on Thursday expressing shock and distress at Israel's bombing of a UN post on the Lebanon border that killed four unarmed military observers, but avoiding any condemnation.
After a day and night of wrangling over a response to Tuesday's attack, all 15 council members agreed on the watered-down statement, which was the first by the Security Council since fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas began on July 12.
In the only reference to the wider conflict, the UN council expressed its "deep concern for Lebanese and Israeli civilian casualties and sufferings, the destruction of civil infrastructures and the rising number of internally displaced people."
The statement was read at a formal meeting by the current council president, France's UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere. Unlike press statements, presidential statements become part of the council's official record.
The US, Israel's closest ally, insisted on dropping any condemnation or allusion to the possibility that Israel deliberately targeted the post in the town of Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel.
China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya (
Despite the final statement being "watered down," he said the council "is not only doing justice to the victims and their families, but also, more important ... to tens of thousands of women and men who are working for this organization all over the world."
China's initial draft would have had the council express shock and distress at Israel's "apparently deliberate targeting" of the UN base and condemn "this coordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long-established and clearly marked UN post."
China was echoing a statement late on Tuesday by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that Israel appeared to have struck the site deliberately -- an accusation Israel vehemently denies.
A revised draft dropped the reference to the "apparently deliberate targeting" but kept in the condemnation and an allusion to possible targeting. That was still unacceptable to the Americans -- as was a call for a joint Israeli-UN investigation into the incident, which Annan wanted.
In the final text, the condemnation of Israel was eliminated, as was the call for a joint investigation.
It said "the Security Council is deeply shocked and distressed by the firing by the Israeli Defense Forces on a United Nations observer post in southern Lebanon."
The council also expressed deep concern about the safety and security of UN personnel and stressed that Israel and "all concerned parties" must comply with international humanitarian law, which includes protecting UN personnel. It underlined "the importance of ensuring that UN personnel are not the object of attack."
fair and balanced
Israel's ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman called the final statement "very fair and balanced" and said it was right for the council to adopt it in memory of the four peacekeepers "killed doing their duty" and to express international concern for the welfare of UN staff.
He expressed "deep regret for the tragic accident," repeated his dismay at Annan's statement, stressed that Israel "would never, ever target UN personnel," and added, "War is an ugly thing and during war mistakes and tragedies do happen."
RSS