By KUNA
United Nations : “In fact,” he added, “the question I asked in the council is what kind of specific horrendous terrorist attack in the area would take for the council to condemn specifically without going through the entire history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with all its tragedies.” “We believe today was one of those occasions and as the Russian delegation, we regret that it was not possible for the council to issue a condemnation. This is a despicable act that deserves condemnation,” he stressed.
Israeli envoy Dan Gillerman expressed regret that the council failed to issue the press statement condemning today’s attack.
“Unfortunately, this is what happens when the council is infiltrated by terrorists. The country that blocked it is a country that knows more about terror than most other countries in the world. The same country that brought you Lockerbie and brings to question the legitimacy of such a country not just being on the council but being a member of the UN,” he said.
“If a country cannot condemn terror in its most horrible manifestation, if it cannot condemn what the whole world condemns… It truly brings to question what this country is doing in this building,” he wondered.
He explained that most of the council members wanted to condemn the attack, but “Libya blocked it and I leave to the other council members and to members of the UN to draw their very sad conclusions of what it means when one country, a county which has truly been a terrorist country for so many years makes it impossible for this international lobby to condemn a horrible vicious act such as we saw today in Jerusalem.” Libyan deputy permanent representative Ibrahim Dabbashi told reporters that all council members condemned the attack in Jerusalem. But some members – four or five – asked for the condemnation also of the killings in Gaza and insisted that the statement should be balanced.
Responding to the Israeli accusations, Dabbashi said Libya has been elected to the council almost unanimously. Our contribution to peace and international security is well known especially in Africa.
“So we don’t need a certificate of good conduct from the Israeli terrorist regime or its representative here. We think this is the most terrorist regime in the world. We see the killings, the blood everywhere, so we don’t expect the representative of this regime to say anything good about any country which has a different opinion of his,” he said.
US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad who circulated the press statement told reporters that Libya and a couple of other council members did not want the council to condemn this act by itself.
“It (Libya) wanted to link it to other issues. We thought the issue of terrorism is a distinct issue. What happened today was clearly a terrorist act.
“Going to a religious school and killing religious students is different, in our view, from civilian losses that happen in the course of military operations whose intent is not to go and kill civilians as such, but killing religious students with the aim specifically of doing that is a terrorist act that needs to be condemned,” he argued.
“We regret that. This makes it difficult for the council to contribute positively to developments in the region, but those who blocked this possibility bear responsibility for that,” he warned.
The Libyan draft resolution that would “strongly condemn” Gaza killings and which is being discussed by council members for days is now considered dead, diplomats said.