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US Vetoes UN Security Council Resolution Calling for UN Intervention in Israel

Breck Ardery, Voice of America
March 28, 2001

Five days of intense negotiations came to nothing late Tuesday night in the United Nations Security Council as the United States vetoed a resolution on the Middle East crisis. The Palestinians and their supporters, the seven members of the non-aligned movement on the Security Council, offered a resolution to establish an international observer force for the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinians said an observer force could help reduce the violence; Israel said it could only further inflame the situation.

From the outset, everyone knew that a resolution explicitly calling for an observer force would be vetoed by the United States. So, for the past five days, the four Western European nations on the council attempted to reach a compromise that would not trigger a United States veto. Both sides agree they were close to a deal, but the European nations and the United States wanted to extend negotiations for one more day. That was not acceptable to the non-aligned movement and members of that group demanded that their original resolution be brought to a vote. They said a vote was needed before the end of the Arab Summit meeting in Amman, Jordan.

The resolution did receive the nine votes necessary for approval, but it was vetoed by the United States.

U.S. ambassador James Cunningham said the resolution would do nothing to advance the cause of Mideast peace. "The United States opposed this resolution because it is unbalanced and unworkable, and hence, unwise. It is more responsive to political theater than political reality," Cunninghan said. "In this resolution, some pretended that the council could impose a solution, including a protection mechanism for civilians in the absence of an agreement between the parties."

After the vote, the chief of the Palestinian Observer Mission at the United Nations, Nasser al-Kidwa, said it is regrettable that the U.S. veto prevented the council from "undertaking its duty." Mr. al-Kidwa said he will not stop requesting that the Security Council "shoulder its responsibilities."

The "no" vote by the United States was the first veto in the Security Council since February of 1999, when China vetoed a resolution to extend a U.N. monitoring force in Macedonia.

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