Thursday, July 13, 2006

Something Old, Something New

Here's John Bolton's statement on the proposed resolution to condemn Israel's incursion into Gaza, which I got by email. I've highlighted certain passages which I think are important.


Statement by Ambassador John R. Bolton, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on Draft Middle East Resolution, at the Security Council, July 13, 2006

Mr. President, we are all aware of the delicate situation in the Middle East, where new and major developments are unfolding as we speak. In light of the fluid and volatile nature of events on the ground, the United States believes this draft Resolution is not only untimely, but already outmoded. We have just recently witnessed a major escalation by Hizballah. On top of that, we have the announcement that the Secretary-General will be sending a team to the region to help resolve the situation. These important new developments should be reflected in any text we consider.

Not withstanding these new developments, there were many other reasons to reject this draft. The draft Resolution before the Council was unbalanced. It placed demands on one side in the Middle East conflict but not the other. This draft Resolution would have exacerbated tensions in the region and would have undermined our vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.

Passage would also have undermined the credibility of the Security Council, which itself must be seen by both sides as an honest broker in the Middle East conflict. In this regard, public statements of UN officials must also accurately reflect positions agreed by member governments.

The United States worked hard with other delegations to achieve a more balanced text, one which acknowledged that Israeli military actions were in direct response to repeated rocket attacks into Southern Israel from Gaza and the June 25 abduction of Israeli Defense Force Corporal Gilad Shalit by Hamas. Regrettably, we were not able to reach consensus.

While we remain gravely concerned about the deterioration of the situation in the West Bank and Gaza, we remain steadfast in our conviction that the best way to resolve the immediate crisis is for Hamas to secure the safe and unconditional release of Corporal Shalit.

Establishing the foundations for a lasting peace, however, will require us to focus our attention not just on Hamas, but on the state sponsors of terror who back them -- particularly Syria and Iran. Let us be clear that without the financial and material support of Damascus and Tehran, Hamas would be severely crippled in carrying out its terrorist operations. We call upon Syria and Iran to end their role as state sponsors of terror and unequivocally condemn the actions of Hamas, including this kidnapping. We yet again call upon Syria to arrest the Hamas ringleader, Khaled Meshal, who currently resides in Damascus. We stress again our condemnation of Syrian and Iranian support of Hizballah, which has claimed responsibility for the other kidnappings along the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon.

We further call on the Palestinian Authority government to stop all acts of violence and terror and comply with the principles enunciated by the Quartet: renounce terror, recognize Israel, and accept previous obligations and agreements, including the Roadmap. The failure of the Palestinian Authority government to take these steps hurts the Palestinian people.

We are obviously concerned about the duration of the present difficulties and the lack of a solution, but the issue for us is whether action by this Council makes such a solution more or less likely, not simply whether or not the Council seems to be "engaged".

The United States remains firmly committed to working with others to establish the foundations for a lasting peace in the region -- a foundation that would have been undermined had this draft Resolution passed.

6 Comments:

Blogger Pyrthroes said...

Kofi of Rwanda is heading to the Mideast to "defuse tensions"? Will this vulgar little twerp wade through the surf of Beirut proclaiming, "I have returned"?

An analogy with this primitive gang's response to the 2004 tsunami might be in order: Weeks passed, American carriers deployed to humanitarian purposes, and finally Annan sent a preening little group to five-star hotels in Malaysia, where they held a one-day conference, complimenting themselves on their intrepidity and fortitude in face of Nature's Wrath, and then dispersed forever. To this day, no-one has heard a single peep.

Bolton should be more, ah, explicit in his recommendations. First and foremost, let's ensure that Kofi and his ilk transfer Headquarters upriver to Togoland by 2012. League, UN... bizarre obstacles to World Peace, abrogating without apology every principle for which they profess(ed) to stand.

7/13/2006 05:28:00 PM  
Blogger Tony said...

Why do people still expect the UN to have the power of Klaatu from "The Day the Earth Stood Still" after this organization has been exposed as not only impotent, but utterly corrupt?

7/13/2006 06:00:00 PM  
Blogger amortiser said...

Wasn't that "Gort" in The Day the Earth Stood Still?

He was calmed by the heroine, Patrica Neal, saying:
"Gort, klaatu barada nicto".

They will need someone to say that to the Israelis shortly if Hamas continues on its present path.

7/13/2006 09:48:00 PM  
Blogger 3Case said...

"...this vulgar little twerp..." - well said.

The U.N. is the screendoor on the submarine of World peace...to use a tired, but apt, metaphor. It serves no other purpose than as Espionage Central against the U.S. for the rest of the World.

7/13/2006 10:05:00 PM  
Blogger Tony said...

Gort was the robot. Michael Rennie played Klaatu, the peacemaker you had to listen to.

"Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!"

That was the command to tell the robot to not destroy the world.

To paraphrase - "I knew Klaatu, Klaatu ws a friend of mine. The UN is no Klaatu!"

7/14/2006 08:02:00 AM  
Blogger James Kielland said...

Stratfor put up an interesting podcast on recent events:


Jul 14, 2006 Stratfor Daily Podcast - Middle East Update - Friedman

7/14/2006 10:39:00 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home


Powered by Blogger