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Last update - 09:42 03/01/2009
UN chief wants international monitors for Gaza cease-fire
By Associated Press
Tags: UN, Mahmoud Abbas 

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging key world leaders to intensify efforts to achieve an immediate Israel-Hamas cease-fire that includes international monitors to enforce a truce and possibly to protect Palestinian civilians, a UN official said Friday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and several Arab foreign ministers are flying to New York over the weekend to urge the UN Security Council to adopt an Arab draft resolution that would condemn Israel and demand a halt to its bombing campaign in Gaza. But the United States said the draft is unacceptable and unbalanced because it makes no mention of halting the Hamas rocketing of southern Israel which led to the Israeli offensive.


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Experts met behind closed doors Friday afternoon to discuss the Arab draft, and it is expected to be at the heart of UN discussions starting Monday.

Ban scheduled meetings on Monday with Abbas and the Arab foreign ministers.

Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told reporters via video link from Jerusalem that a comprehensive approach is essential to end the crisis and prevent a return to the inherently unstable and unsustainable situation in Gaza and southern Israel.

"A solution requires commitments from the parties that they will respect a cease-fire in full, the monitoring of a truce, the permanent opening of all border crossings into Gaza, the return of Hamas-ruled Gaza to the fold of the Palestinian Authority, renewed efforts to reunite Gaza and the West Bank - and ultimately the achievement of Israeli-Palestinian peace," Serry said.

The United Nations, which is now the only major international player left in Gaza, is willing to play a monitoring role, he said, but it's up to the council to decide on any monitoring arrangements. The UN currently has peacekeeping operations monitoring cease-fires on the Israeli-Lebanon border and on the Israeli-Syrian border.

Serry stressed that opening Gaza's borders on a continuous and uninterrupted basis ... would require commitments from Hamas that all rocket attacks and weapons smuggling will end.

Asked whether Hamas will agree to a cease-fire and make such commitments, he said: If Hamas has the well-being of its people in mind, they will also be looking for a way out of this very deep crisis, and if this is going to be part of it, I hope they will accept it.

Serry was also asked about a call in the Arab draft resolution for the
immediate provision of protection for the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.

"There are proposals ... that apart from a monitoring role that a force could have a protection role," Serry said. I think all these proposals will have to be examined.

With the Israeli bombing campaign in its seventh day, Serry said the toll of dead and injured continues to mount and much of Gaza's infrastructure has now been destroyed.

"Protection of civilians, the fabric of Gaza, the future of the peace process and regional stability, all are trapped between the irresponsibility of Hamas rocket attacks and the excessiveness of Israel's response," he said.

"With Israel's tanks on Gaza's border, it is absolutely imperative now that we find an immediate and lasting way out to avoid an even deeper and deadlier conflict," Serry stressed.

The secretary-general is doing everything he can to ensure that efforts are intensified and coordinated and lead to immediate results, Serry said. He has publicly and privately urged key world leaders with real influence over the parties to end the violence.

Diplomatic efforts are expected to shift to the United Nations starting
Monday.

An Arab League ministerial meeting in Cairo on Wednesday decided to send a delegation of foreign ministers to New York from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt and Morocco. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, who is also coming, asked Abbas, the Palestinian president, to lead the diplomatic campaign at the UN.

Ban told reporters Friday he had confirmation that the Saudi, Egyptian,
Jordanian and Qatar ministers will be coming to New York to push cease-fire efforts next week.

There are divisions in the 22-nation Arab League about the conflict, with
Syria, Libya and Qatar backing Hamas while other members have been critical of the militant group.

"I think it is important that indeed the Arab League will show enough unity in this crisis and will come with (new) proposals next week in New York," Serry said.

"This will enable a way forward. I think that is very, very important."

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    In their waning days in power, Bush and Rice work to try organize a truce.
      1.   If only we could use the hot air to warm NYC 09:46  |  Emanuel 03/01/09
      2.   Monitors, perhaps, but not before Hamas`s will and capability is 09:53  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 03/01/09
      3.   This is Bad - Israel should not agree - Eradicate Hamas 10:45  |  Michael 03/01/09
      4.   The UN is nothing more than a 2nd Arab League! 11:42  |  Corrupted Arab money 03/01/09
      5.   What about...(2nd try) 11:52  |  Tzfonit 03/01/09
      6.   Well, they`ll want to be well equipped, that`s for sure. 12:00  |  Johnboy 03/01/09
      7.   The United Nothing watched on the genocide in Darfur 12:11  |  Alicia 03/01/09
      8.   Let`s neither forget how the UN acted in Rwnada 12:16  |  Alicia 03/01/09
      9.   #6 14:08  |  Wog 03/01/09
      10.   UN Monitors are worse than USELESS 15:42  |  Lisa 03/01/09
      11.   Here is what the UN is good for 15:58  |  Gil 03/01/09
      12.   UN Monitors a joke 18:59  |  UN Monitors a joke 03/01/09
      13.   Intl Diplomacy - Hamas loses Gaza 19:13  |  Reid 03/01/09
      14.   2ND TRY UN - Those are the same fellows 19:24  |  *BEN JABO 03/01/09
      15.   Ceasefire begins with release of Shalit 19:34  |  Realist 03/01/09
      16.   Hamas fears Costa Rican, Moldovan and Gambian monitors... 20:00  |  Fortuna Benmayor 03/01/09
      17.   UN monitors - oh please.... 20:07  |  Adrian de Klerk 03/01/09
      18.   I wonder why Qatar backs Hamas? 23:28  |  Taly 03/01/09
      19.   Realist - Gilad Shalit 23:32  |  Mark Lincoln 03/01/09
      20.   UN conditions ends Hamas control of Gaza 04:35  |  Reid 04/01/09
      21.   Johnboy - Against UN monitors 04:40  |  Reid 04/01/09
      22.   The Useless Nations and Israel 05:10  |  Mark Lincoln 04/01/09
      23.   #21 I also understand how UN obsservers work, Reid 13:32  |  Johnboy 04/01/09
      24.   #21 Annnnnd, a simple question for you, Reid. 13:35  |  Johnboy 04/01/09
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