UN Radio: Security Council Plans Meeting on Iraq

UN Radio: Security Council Plans Meeting on Iraq

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Security Council Plans Meeting on Iraq

The UN Security Council plans further consultations Wednesday afternoon on an American-sponsored draft resolution on Iraq, with a view to holding a formal meeting. United States Ambassador John Negroponte says the draft has gone through a number of changes and every effort was made to take into account the views of other Council members.

"The focus is on the political process in Iraq, the role of the Secretary-General in facilitating that process, the economic reconstruction of that country and the creation and authorisation of a multinational force."

Ambassador Negroponte says he's hopeful for the eventual adoption of the resolution on Wednesday.

Africa Embarks on Two-Fold Strategy to Implement NEPAD

African nations have embarked on a two-fold strategy aimed at the successful implementation of the New African Partnership for Development (NEPAD). Mozambique's Minister of Foreign Affairs Leonardo Santos-Simao told the UN General Assembly that Africans are determined to ensure that conflicts that have been ravaging the continent can soon be an issue of the past. At the same time, he added, they are committed to ensuring that Africa takes its rightful place in the community of nations by embarking on a steady path of sustainable development through implementation of NEPAD.

"We in Africa believe that with the successful implementation of NEPAD, our continent will cease to be a burden and a permanent source of concern for the international community due to violent conflicts, endemic diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, famine and the negative impact of natural disasters and become an effective partner in the international arena."

The New African Partnership for Development is an African-led initiative where Africans define their own priorities. The General Assembly is meeting on a report by the Secretary-General on progress made in implementation and international support for NEPAD.

United States Vetoes UN Resolution Condemning Israel's Separation Wall

The United States on Tuesday night vetoed a draft resolution that would have declared illegal, Israel's construction of a separation wall in the occupied Palestinian territories. The representative of the United States, Ambassador John Negroponte, said the resolution did not further the goals of peace and security in the Middle East:

"We voted against it because we felt it was very unbalanced and it didn't condemn the terrorist acts that have occurred recently and it didn't make any mention of the terrorist issue, the terrorist infrastructure."

The United States was the lone vote against the resolution in the Council, although four members - Bulgaria, Cameroon, Germany and the United Kingdom - abstained.

Palestinian UN Observer Says Veto Casts a Dark Shadow Over US Role in Mideast Peace Process

Meanwhile reaction to the United States veto was quick. The Permanent Observer of Palestine Dr. Nasser al-Kidwa lamented the American decision saying there can be no Mideast peace process as long as Israel continues to construct the wall:

"We have seen tonight the second US veto in less than a month that again casts a dark shadow on the possibility for the United States to exercise the role of a mediator or a broker of the Middle East peace process."

Dr. al-Kidwa said he plans to seek a resumption of the emergency session of the General Assembly to introduce a similar resolution.

Annan Condemns Deadly Attack on US Diplomatic Convoy

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has strongly condemned Wednesday's deadly attack on a United States diplomatic convoy in Gaza. A UN spokesman said the Secretary-General views with alarm "this apparently deliberate attack on diplomats". The spokesman said the Secretary-General calls on the Palestinian Authority to act with speed and determination to bring to justice those responsible for the attack.

Annan Congratulates China on its Maiden Manned Space Flight

China has become the third nation, after the Russian Federation and the United States, to send a human into space. Astronaut Yang Liwei blasted off from Jiuquan in the Gobi desert on Wednesday and will spend 20 hours in space orbiting the earth. The Director of the UN's Office of Outer Space Affairs, Sergio Camacho, says that with this space flight, China, as a founding member of the UN's Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, will be able to improve its abilities in disaster management.

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