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Last update - 01:29 01/05/2008
Libya stands by comparison of Nazi concentration camps, Gaza
By Reuters
Tags: Libya, United Nations

Libya stands by its United Nation envoy's comparison of the plight of Palestinians in Gaza to the Holocaust and deplores a walkout by Western diplomats in protest at the comments, official Libyan media reported on Wednesday.

Libya's Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of France, Belgium and Britain and the U.S. charge d'affaires and asked them to explain the April 23 walkout at the UN Security Council, the Jana news agency reported.

Western UN envoys walked out of a Council discussion that day after a Libyan diplomat likened the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the Nazi Holocaust.
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"The Libyan representative at the Security Council was right to express the stance of his country," Jana quoted Abdelatti Abidi, head of the ministry's European Affairs department, as saying.

"The representative did not violate the procedures and regulations of the Council or the UN Charter when he considered what takes place in Gaza, the starving of people, preventing the entry of electricity, medicine and the killing of innocents as similar to what took place in the concentration camps in the past."

Diplomats said the remarks were made in a speech by Libya's deputy permanent UN representative Ibrahim Dabbashi, who also holds the title of ambassador.

Among the diplomats who left the council chamber were the U.S., French, British, Belgian and Costa Rican envoys, diplomats have said. Some others remained. Such protests against fellow Security Council members are rare, diplomats said.

U.S. envoy to the UN Alejandro Wolff said the Libyan remarks "reflect a degree of historical ignorance and moral insensitivity."

Six million Jews were systematically murdered by Nazi Germany in the Holocaust during World War II.

Jana said that Abidi "asked the four diplomats for clarifications from their countries on the withdrawal and informed them that Libya rejected calling the stand of the Libyan representative at the Council as immoral."

"The withdrawal of the four representatives was an unprecedented move in the history of the Security Council which is a forum for dialogue, concertation and expression of views. The council is not a forum for collective withdrawal."

Israel says its decision to seal border crossings with the Gaza Strip in January was in response to Palestinian rocket attacks against southern Israel.

The United Nations has warned this has resulted in a humanitarian crisis for the territory's 1.5 million people, most of whom depend on foreign aid.

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      1.   Lybia, Shmibia 22:06  |  khaddafistinks 30/04/08
      2.   The Stupor of Stupidity In Some Arab Nations 22:26  |  Lavi 30/04/08
      3.   Why is Lybia in the UN??? 22:56  |  DR 30/04/08
      4.   those who seek the truth 23:18  |  HISTORY - part 1 30/04/08
      5.   those who seek the truth 23:19  |  HISTORY - part 2 30/04/08
      6.   I don`t like Qaddafi...but I salute the Libyan envoy`s 23:25  |  Foreign observer 30/04/08
      7.   To # 1 (khaddafistinks hahahah) 23:28  |  Rachel 30/04/08
      8.   Better start up those smoke stacks, then 00:04  |  Jon 01/05/08
      9.   Madness made in Libya....... 00:28  |  Swiss (Dino) 01/05/08
      10.   meh. the Cirque du Soleil has more political implications than... 01:38  |  Richard S 01/05/08
      11.   Israel can not be compared to Nazis. 02:25  |  shalom 01/05/08
      12.   The U.N.: When Good Ideas Die 02:38  |  Tex 01/05/08
      13.   WHAT ELSE can he say if Hamas shoots up its fuel supplier 02:49  |  PETER SM 01/05/08
      14.   libya 03:42  |  Shmuelshachor 01/05/08
      15.   Well then, ........... 04:30  |  Jeff 01/05/08
      16.   Foreign observer, have you seen gas chambers in Gaza? 04:48  |  Bruce 01/05/08
      17.   How Lybia treats Pals?you guests it 05:10  |  Amar 01/05/08
      18.   It takes Libya to stand up for Palestinians... 05:53  |  Silvienne 01/05/08
      19.   Silvienne: your making the same stupid error 06:44  |  Brad 01/05/08
      20.   Tex, right on! 06:49  |  Akiva P 01/05/08
      21.   Disproprtionate Ignorance 06:59  |  Jack Smith 01/05/08
      22.   #4 HYSTERIA Jews in Palestine 4000 years ago? 08:50  |  hala 01/05/08
      23.   Libya Figures If You Repeat A Lie Enough... 13:59  |  Yosemite 01/05/08
      24.   #19, Brad...we`ll leave aside your daft remark... 16:59  |  Silvienne 01/05/08
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