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Last update - 08:00 31/01/2008
Israel says Libya unworthy of seat on UN Security Council
By Reuters
Tags: UN, Libya, Israel

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations accused Libya on Wednesday of continuing to profess support for terrorism and suggested it was unworthy of its seat on the UN Security Council.

After decades of isolation as a pariah of the West, Libya was elected to the council last year after the United States dropped its opposition. Libya kicked off its 2-year stint on the council by holding the rotating presidency for January.

During a debate on the Middle East, Libya's UN ambassador, Giadalla Ettalhi, angered his Israeli counterpart by accusing the Jewish state of "ethnic cleansing" and rampant human rights violations in the Palestinian territories.
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Referring to Israel's recent closure of border crossings with Gaza in response to Palestinian rocket fire, Ettalhi spoke of what he called the "Zionist escalation" and "terrorism practiced by the occupation authorities against the Palestinian people."

Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman responded by referring to an article in the UN Charter, which says special attention should be paid to countries' contributions "to the maintenance of international peace" when electing them to the council.

"The importance of this paragraph was highlighted by the litany of bias, distortion, bigotry and hate delivered by a representative of a country that was itself under sanctions ... not long ago, the same people who gave the world Lockerbie," he said.

"That this was done by the president of this council while expressing his total support for terrorism should alarm us all as to what awaits us and what awaits this council in the next 23 months," Gillerman said.

Libya's turn as president ends on February 1, but it will remain on the council.

Tripoli has already proven tough negotiator on Middle East issues. This week disagreements between Libya and the United States prevented the council from adopting a nonbinding statement on the situation in Gaza.

Israel has never been elected to the Security Council, largely due to opposition from Arab and Muslim states, but it participated in the council meeting as an observer.

Libya has only recently been rehabilitated in the eyes of many Western nations after its leader, Muammar Gaddafi decided in 2003 to abandon programs for weapons of mass destruction.

Before that Tripoli had long been accused of sponsoring terrorism and was blamed for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 people. That case led to U.N. sanctions against Libya.

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      1.   So how is Libya different from any other Arab/Muslim enitity? 08:52  |  SLAVO 31/01/08
      2.   Too bad Gillerman doesn`t get a steady diet of his own medecine 10:39  |  Natallie Durson 31/01/08
      3.   It doesn`t matter ... 12:49  |  Chris 31/01/08
      4.   And the world says 13:57  |  Dav 31/01/08
      5.   # 2 Durson....Libya has no room to talk 15:09  |  Lynn 31/01/08
      6.   # 4 DAV AND THE WHOLE WORLD SUPPORTS ISRAEL 15:09  |  Petra 31/01/08
      7.   Question for Ballistic 15:40  |  Petra 31/01/08
      8.   Libya and the security council. 15:41  |  sandra chitayat 31/01/08
      9.   # 4 Dav...HA AH HA AH HA AH.... 15:44  |  Lynn 31/01/08
      10.   #4, The world says, or the Arab world says 16:11  |  Wolf 31/01/08
      11.   Libya and UN deserve each other 16:20  |  ottomatik 31/01/08
      12.   "Natallie Durson" 16:27  |  Kristoff 31/01/08
      13.   Is it not true ????? 17:04  |  M.O. 31/01/08
      14.   Congrats Libya 17:19  |  Jim 31/01/08
      15.   #10 17:21  |  Viv 31/01/08
      16.   REMEMBER THE "GODFATHER" 17:31  |  indrajaya 31/01/08
      17.   Israel is a Terrorist State. 17:36  |  POP 31/01/08
      18.   Libya is "worthy" of UN, and UN is "worthy" of Libya 17:48  |  felix 31/01/08
      19.   Libya and UN 17:55  |  Don 31/01/08
      20.   Petra con`t 18:01  |  ballistic 31/01/08
      21.   BTW Petra 18:03  |  ballistic 31/01/08
      22.   #5 Say Cupcake 18:07  |  ballistic 31/01/08
      23.   Natallie re UNHRC 18:11  |  Don 31/01/08
      24.   Apartheid Libya that sentenced to death 5 Bulgarian nurses 18:25  |  Genuine Tosefta 31/01/08
      25.   POP: To what `Palestinian Organization` your acronym stands for? 18:36  |  AA 31/01/08
      26.   Libya cares so much about the Philistines that it tortures them 18:36  |  Genuine Tosefta 31/01/08
      27.   re 2 natalie 18:39  |  mark 31/01/08
      28.   libya: shiny new kettle 18:39  |  al 31/01/08
      29.   Natallie... 18:42  |  Boris S. 31/01/08
      30.   Libya unworthy of UN seat. 18:47  |  David Nigel Braham 31/01/08
      31.   Stop Israel terror 18:47  |  Dav 31/01/08
      32.   paragraph love it 18:48  |  mark 31/01/08
      33.   Upon Further Reflection 18:55  |  Natallie Durson 31/01/08
      34.   Make the world happy 19:00  |  Dav 31/01/08
      35.   Hey POOP, #17 19:04  |  Wolf 31/01/08
      36.   re 14 19:06  |  mark 31/01/08
      37.   AHMINADAJAD. 19:11  |  DANNY. 31/01/08
      38.   TO 23. 19:20  |  DANNY. 31/01/08
      39.   TO NO 1. 19:22  |  DANNY. 31/01/08
      40.   Natallie 19:26  |  Rob 31/01/08
      41.   Libya`s criticismst true. Israel done worst crimes than Lockerbie 19:28  |  anti-racist 31/01/08
      42.   LIBYA 19:30  |  DANNY 31/01/08
      43.   Israel must end its cleansing&terrorism before pointing a finger 19:30  |  anti-racist 31/01/08
      44.   Libya has better human rights record than Israel 19:34  |  W 31/01/08
      45.   if it were not for camel dung... 19:37  |  dav zee 31/01/08
      46.   # 15, second attempt 19:50  |  Wolf 31/01/08
      47.   #17, Hey POOP (second attempt) 19:54  |  Wolf 31/01/08
      48.   # 16. Indy. Thought you were a Bollywood fan. 20:31  |  Stephen. 31/01/08
      49.   Mohmmar Qadaff the next UN Sct. general 20:38  |  Avram 31/01/08
      50.   #36 Yes Mr.Wolf-is right 20:53  |  Dav 31/01/08
      51.   Israeli hypocracy 21:01  |  Yaakov Sullivan 31/01/08
      52.   International Law and Gaza: The Assault on Israel`s Right to Self 21:02  |  Joseph E . post 1 31/01/08
      53.   Faulty Arguments Made by Opponents of Israel 21:05  |  Joseph E . post 2 31/01/08
      54.   Faulty Arguments Made by Opponents of Israel 21:06  |  Joseph E . Post 3 31/01/08
      55.   This essay nevertheless attempts 21:07  |  Joseph E . Post 4 31/01/08
      56.   1. The Legality of Israeli Military Actions under Jus ad Bellum 21:08  |  Joseph E . Post 5 31/01/08
      57.   2. The Legality of Israeli Military Actions under International H 21:09  |  Joseph E . Post 6 31/01/08
      58.   Retorsion: 21:11  |  Joseph E . Post 7 31/01/08
      59.   3. The Legality of Israeli Military Actions under the Laws of Occ 21:12  |  Joseph E . Post 8 31/01/08
      60.   3. The Legality of Israeli .... Continuation ..... 21:14  |  Joseph E . Post 9 31/01/08
      61.   # 22 Wormwood....Seems you did get 21:14  |  Lynn 31/01/08
      62.   4. The Legality of Israeli Military Actions under International H 21:15  |  Joseph E . Post 10 31/01/08
      63.   6. Duties of Israel under Anti-Terrorism Conventions 21:16  |  Joseph E . Post 11 31/01/08
      64.   Conclusion 21:17  |  Joseph E . Post 12 31/01/08
      65.   #41 knows and admits that Libya is a bloody country 21:23  |  Genuine Tosefta 31/01/08
      66.   Natalie Durson. Sorry I disagree this time, Natalie 21:54  |  Yaakov Sullivan 31/01/08
      67.   anti-racist - Give yourself a break... 21:54  |  Ben 31/01/08
      68.   Say Joseph E 21:56  |  ballistic 31/01/08
      69.   #44 W. You hit the nail, congratulations 21:56  |  Yaakov Sullivan 31/01/08
      70.   A Barrage Against Israel 21:58  |  Joseph . E 31/01/08
      71.   #64 There is no one word true in this report, don`t bother read 21:59  |  Yaakov Sullivan