Global Policy Forum

By Edith Lederer

The Security Council grilled the Israeli and Palestinian envoys on why their governments have failed to implement recent council resolutions demanding an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian cities. At the end of the separate closed-door sessions late Tuesday, the council agreed to an Arab request for an emergency open meeting on the escalating Middle East conflict. It was scheduled to begin Wednesday morning.

The Palestinians are hoping the meeting will result in council approval of a new resolution demanding immediate implementation of two resolutions adopted in the last three weeks - with a goal of pressuring Israel to withdraw its troops and tanks quickly.

A U.S.-sponsored resolution adopted on March 12 endorsed a Palestinian state for the first time, demanded an immediate cease-fire, and called for renewed efforts by both parties to resume negotiations on a political settlement. A Norwegian-sponsored resolution adopted on Saturday called on Israelis and Palestinians "to move immediately to a meaningful cease-fire." It also called for "the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian cities, including Ramallah," where Yasser Arafat is under virtual house arrest.

Syria abstained on the March 12 resolution, saying it was too weak, and boycotted Saturday's vote, saying the resolution didn't go far enough in condemning Israel. But Syria's U.N. Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe said late Tuesday he would introduce and support the new resolution because the situation had escalated into crisis. "The Security Council has to instruct the Israelis to withdraw fully from the occupied Palestinian territories and to alleviate the siege from Mr. Yasser Arafat, to be able to resume his activities," he said.

Nasser Al-Kidwa, the Palestinian U.N. observer, welcomed "the fact that there is a unanimous Arab position in support of the resolution." The United States has made clear that it expects a cease-fire to come ahead of an Israeli troop withdrawal, a view echoed by Israel. But U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Norwegian ambassador and other council members insist there is no sequence to the actions demanded by the council, which are legally binding.

Al-Kidwa said he told the council during his two-hour session that the Palestinians are prepared to immediately implement both resolutions, and would like to see implementation start on Wednesday. "This is a situation where you have tanks, personnel carriers, artillery, supported by helicopter gunships inside heavily populated cities," he said. "You are talking about the life ... of thousands of human beings. So there is no doubt in my mind that speaking about withdrawal should mean immediate withdrawal."

But Israel's U.N. Ambassador Yehuda Lancry said he stressed the need for a "meaningful cease-fire" first during his meeting with council members, saying it "will lead automatically and necessarily to an Israeli withdrawal." Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Tuesday the current offensive in the West Bank will last three to four weeks.

Calling his three-hour session with the council "very positive," the Israeli envoy said he told members that Israel would allow U.S. monitors to observe an Israeli settlement freeze and the outlawing of militant groups by the Palestinians - steps proposed by an international commission led by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell. The council has called for implementation of the Mitchell recommendations as a prelude to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

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