Rice pushes for softer U.N. Gaza measure
Posted: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 3:05 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Security, State Dept.
From NBC’s Libby Leist
NEW YORK -- Secretary
Condoleezza Rice is bouncing from meeting to meeting with European and Arab Foreign Ministers here at the United Nations, trying to convince Arab leaders not to push for a Security Council resolution on the crisis in Gaza, but to accept a less forceful "presidential statement."
Rice's efforts seem to be failing, however. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince
Saud al-Faisal has just told reporters that a presidential statement is not acceptable to the Arabs.
A "presidential statement" is an official document from the U.N. Security Council. It is generally viewed as more of a political statement than a legally binding resolution. Therefore a less powerful display from the Security Council.
According to a Saudi diplomat, the Arab leaders are pressing for a resolution that calls for an immediate end to the violence and then the establishment of a mechanism to police the border crossings and deal with the smuggling issue. But, the U.S. wants a mechanism first before calling for a ceasefire, the diplomat said.
A senior U.S. official confirmed the U.S. will veto any resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and suggested the Arabs will push it forward anyway, so they can then blame the U.S. for not calling for an immediate end to the fighting.
The U.S. official said a Security Council resolution "spooks the Israelis" and that Rice believes a presidential statement is a good compromise.
Also, the official offered caution on reports that the U.S. is in full support of the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s initiative. Instead, U.S. officials are praising the effort to get the Israelis and Palestinians talking to the Egyptians, but they do not necessarily agree with all elements of Mubarak's plan.
The Mubarak initiative calls for an immediate ceasefire for a limited period to allow for the passage of humanitarian aid and for negotiations toward a long-lasting ceasefire. It also calls for a mechanism to police the border of Gaza to prevent smuggling and to reopen the border crossings.
Rice has walked by stakeout cameras four separate times in the past few hours, but has refused comment. She said she would have more later.
