The Security Council agreed Wednesday evening to again postpone a vote until Monday on a resolution to protect the Palestinians living in the Israeli-administered territories.
The postponement was the third this week, as the 15-member Security Council failed to come to an agreement concerning the exact wording of the resolution.
At issue is a draft resolution calling for an international Middle East peace conference, to be held at an “appropriate time,” something the United States would like removed from the text.
Nine of the Council representatives supported the postponement, while China and France, two of the five permanent members, abstained. The sponsors of the resolution — Colombia, Cuba, Malaysia and Yemen — voted against the delay.
The delay was reportedly sought to give Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze time to meet Friday with PLO leader Yasir Arafat in Turkey.
The United States is trying to avoid using its veto power in the Security Council for fear of harming its Arab coalition against Iraq’s Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
