At
UN, Questions of Settlers in Israel's OECD Statistics, Two U.S.
Positions
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March 8 -- While Israel's Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom
predicted to the Press on Monday that his country with "finally
join" the OECD at its meeting in May or June in Paris, he would
not provide Israel's response to OECD's critique of including
settlers but not Palestinians in Israel's statistics.
Inner
City Press
asked Shalom, twice, if both groups were and would be included in
Israel's submission to the OECD. Shalom said, we will comply with the
rules, and then referred to other issues that have arisen in the last
few years. Video here,
from Minute 21:27.
Another issue
is whether
wine and other products coming from Israeli settlements should be
labeled as such. As one pro-Israel source told Inner City Press after
its questions, "it's all politics."
Following
up on
Friday's
Security Council meeting and press statement, Inner City
Press asked Shalom if he understand, as the Palestinian Observer put
it, that the "provocations" decried in the Council's press
statement includes Israel's National Heritage List.
Shalom
took this
as an opportunity to hearken to the Bible, with its "first
chapter" referring to patriarchs as in the Cave of the
Patriarchs. We have been there 3700 years, he said, not 130. And then
he left the stakeout.
UN's Ban and Silvan Shalom, Cave of Patriarchs not shown
Later,
it was
argued to Inner City Press that the United States delegation had not
agreed to the Council's press statement of March 5. An even more
pro-Israel source, however, blamed the U.S. not objecting on the fact
that the "U.S. number one Ambassador was not there. The number
two, who closely follows the Middle East, was not there either. The
number three is sharp about Kosovo, but not the Middle East."
The
source compared
the two U.S. positions -- not objecting to the press statement and
then claiming that it had -- to "Obama's record in the Senate,
of not taking positions on some hard votes." That's what the
source said. But if the U. S. Mission wants to claim it didn't agree,
and blame the "inexperienced" Gabonese presidency, it
should come forward with facts. Watch this site.
* * *
UAE
May Name Dubai Assassins for UN Terror List, Fatah Says, Opacity at
UN as US Disclaims Council Statement
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March 5 -- The United Arab Emirates is considering submitted
to the UN Security Council's terrorism list the names of "those
terrorists" who assassinated a Hamas leader in Dubai,
Palestine's Permanent Observer to the UN Riyad Mansour told the Pres
on Friday.
Inner
City Press
asked Ambassador Mansour if his delegation wanted to raise to the UN
the assassination in Dubai. We leave that to our brothers in the UAE,
Mansour answered, it is a matter of sovereignty for them. Video here,
from Minute 8:47.
The
UN's "terrorism
list," as Mansour put it, is a list pursuant to Security Council
Resolution 1267. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are on it, as is the
shadowy and some say non existent East Turkestan Islamic Movement
ascribed to Western China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The
inclusion of "agents of Mossad" would be something new.
In
fact, as one
correspondent pointed out later on Friday, the 1267 Committee has
recently tried to provide more due process to those on the list,
along it still require unanimity on the Council to be removed from
the list. But might the procedural improvement benefit Mossad? Most
say there is no chance that the Dubai hit men will be added to the
list.
Mansour alone at UN, UAE introduction of Mossad
names not shown
Mansour
was
speaking to the press -- two reporters, to be exact -- after the
Gabonese president of the Security Council for March, Gabon's Emmanuel
Issoze-Ngondet, read out a one
paragraph statement about the "provocations" of both side
in the Middle East. Inner City Press asked if the reference was to
the skirmish between Palestinians and Israeli forces on the Temple
Mount that day. The Council president refused to answer even this,
walking away from the microphone. Mansour nevertheless called it a
strong statement. Video here,
at end.
Inner
City Press
asked Mansour if the "provocations" might also refer to
Israel's recent listing of National Heritage Site. Video here,
from
Minute 6:47. Mansour said yes, referring to "site of heritage
for Zionism." And so it goes at the UN.
Footnote:
In fact, after the Gabonese president read out the statement that
began "the members of the Council expressed their concern,"
the U.S. Mission to the UN claimed to reporters that it had not
agreed, that the statement was only adopted due to "procedural
confusion." Inner City Press say U.S. number three official
Rosemary DiCarlo leaving the Council before the statement was read.
Some asked, where was Susan Rice?
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