Middle East.

Due to negative votes by a permanent member - the United States - the Security Council on two occasions, on 7 and 21 March, failed to adopt draft resolutions calling for the cessation of Israel's construction of the Jabal Abu Ghneim settlement in East Jerusalem.

In explaining his country's opposition, Ambassador Bill Richardson of the United States on 21 March said neither the Council nor the General Assembly should be asserting themselves into issues that the negotiating partners had decided would be "addressed in their permanent status talks". Such interference could only harden the positions of both sides.

On the other hand, he continued, no one should interpret United States veto as an expression of support for the construction project, which was "not helpful to the peace process". The parties must take "special care to avoid pre-emptive actions that could be seen to prejudge the outcome of negotiations".

Nasser Al-Kidwa, Permanent Observer for Palestine, believed the veto had not been "cast to protect the peace process", but rather to "shield Israel from the will of the international community" and exempt it from the provisions of international law. While he condemned and rejected the 21 March bombing in Tel Aviv as "harming the peace process as a whole", the occurrence of such acts could "not be isolated, however, from the grave and tense situation created by the actions of the Israeli authorities", he stated.

David Peleg of Israel said the group Hamas had claimed responsibility for the bombing, which killed 3 women and injured 40 others. The Palestinian leadership had "not countered terrorist leaders or their stated intentions", thus ignoring its responsibilities under the agreements to end terrorism. "The language of incitement seldom remains in the realm of words alone", he stressed.

Earlier, Israel had been called upon to rescind its 26 February decision to build the new settlement in East Jerusalem, as the Council held a two-day debate (5 and 6 March) on the situation in the occupied Arab territories. Some 49 speakers addressed the Council, with a number of them characterizing the recent Israeli action - approval of plans for Har Homa, a 6,500 unit housing project - as part of an overall government plan to create a fait accompli and ensure the "Judaization of Jerusalem" before the beginning of negotiations on the city's final status.

Assembly action

The General Assembly on 13 March, in expressing deep concern at Israel's decision to start a new settlement project in East Jerusalem, called upon that country's authorities to "refrain from all actions or measures, including settlement activities, which alter the facts on the ground, pre-empting the final status negotiations, and have negative implications for the Middle East peace process".

In adopting resolution 51/223 by 130 votes to 2 (Israel, United States), with 2 abstentions (Federated States of Micronesia and Marshall Islands), the Assembly also called upon all parties to "continue, in the interests of peace and security, their negotiations within the Middle East peace process on its agreed basis and the timely implementation of the agreements reached".

Mr. Peleg, speaking before the vote, said the draft was "one-sided and biased", and also detrimental to the peace process. "The murder of six schoolgirls and their teacher in the Jordan valley today reinforced Israel's belief that the only way to promote peace in the Middle East is to support the political process through direct talks", he stated.

On 18 March, the Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People said it greatly deplored the beginning of the construction of a new settlement at Jabal Abu Ghneim mountain, "despite the overwhelming opposition of the international community as expressed in General Assembly resolution 51/223".

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 18 March stated that he had learned with "disappointment and deep concern" of the Israeli decision to proceed with the construction project. He called on the parties to "do their utmost to find mutually acceptable solutions and proceed with the peace negotiations".

On 4 March, Mr. Annan had stated that he considered unhelpful any action which might impede the final status negotiations. "No objective is more important than for the parties to find mutually agreeable solutions to the sensitive issues involved, including Jerusalem", he stressed.

Violence condemned

The 21 March bombing in Tel Aviv, "causing death and injury to numerous civilians", was strongly condemned by the Secretary-General, as he expressed condolences to the bereaved families, and to the Government and people of Israel. At the same time, in reiterating his appeal "not to allow odious acts of this nature to derail the peace process", Mr. Annan said he sincerely hoped that "both parties will intensify their efforts to overcome existing obstacles to a speedy return to the peace process".

On 13 March, the Secretary-General stated he was "shocked by the news" that a Jordanian soldier had fired upon a group of Israeli schoolgirls, killing seven and wounding several others. "Today's tragic incident highlights the need to renew confidence in the peace process, whose objective is the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement in the Middle East", he pointed out.

General Assembly President Razali Ismail of Malaysia on 13 March said the tragic incident on the Jordanian-Israeli border "underlined the precariousness of the Middle East peace process". It was "incumbent upon Governments and individuals to support action and commitments to move the process forward, as any kind of action - rational and irrational - can derail it", he stated.

UNIFIL extended

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was extended by the Security Council on 28 January for a further six-month period, until 31 July. By unanimously adopting resolution 1095 (1997), the Council reiterated its "strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized boundaries".

Also, in condemning "all acts of violence committed in particular against the Force", the Council urged the parties to put an end to them, and called upon "all parties concerned to cooperate fully with the Force for the full implementation of its mandate". It encouraged "further efficiency and savings" provided they did not affect UNIFIL's operational capacity.

Following the resolution's adoption, the Council expressed "concern over the continuing violence in southern Lebanon", regretted the loss of civilian life and urged all parties to exercise restraint. Through a statement by its President, Hisashi Owada of Japan, the Council again stressed the urgent need for the implementation of its resolution 425 (1978) which, among other things, called upon Israel to immediately cease its military action against the territorial integrity of Lebanon and withdraw its forces from all Lebanese territory.

By reiterating its full support for the 1989 Taif Agreement and for the "continued efforts of the Lebanese Government to consolidate peace, national unity and security in the country, while successfully carrying out the reconstruction process", the Council also commended the Government for its "successful effort to extend its authority in the south of the country in full coordination with UNIFIL".

UNIFIL was established in March 1978 for an initial six-month period to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, restore international peace and security, and assist the Lebanese Government in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area.

'Tense and volatile'

"While the level of hostilities was somewhat lower than in the past, the situation in southern Lebanon continued to be tense and volatile, as Israel maintained its occupation of parts of the area, while Lebanese groups continued their attacks against the occupying forces", Secretary-General Annan reported on 20 January.

Although UNIFIL's mandate had "remained thus unfulfilled", its contribution to stability and the protection it was able to afford the population remained important, he stated.

As regards firing into populated areas, the parties had exercised a "measure of restraint", and it was hoped that they would continue to do so, the Secretary-General noted. However, he went on, "this positive development should not obscure the fact that the inherent instability of the situation and the ever-present possibility of renewed deterioration remain a cause for serious concern".

Hebron agreement

Secretary-General Annan was "very much encouraged" by the conclusion on 15 January of an "agreement regarding Hebron and other important issues, which has now been reached between Israel and the Palestinians". He considered that to be an "important achievement", which he hoped "will now pave the way for further progress towards the full implementation of the process envisaged in the Declaration of Principles agreed in Oslo".

The Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on 20 January stated that it was also encouraged by the Israeli-Palestinian agreement on the protocol concerning the redeployment of Israeli forces from Hebron and the Note for the Record.

In expressing the hope that the new accord would lead to the full implementation of the agreements already reached between the two parties, "in particular the commencement of substantive negotiations on matters pertaining to the permanent settlement", the Bureau reaffirmed its full support for the ongoing peace process and the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, "primarily the right to self-determination and statehood".

Mid-air collision

The Secretary-General on 4 February, having learned with regret of the mid-air collision of two Israeli transport helicopters over northern Israel, with loss of over 70 lives, expressed his condolences to the Government and people of Israel, as well as to the bereaved families of the victims.