Venezuela voted against the ceasefire in Gaza (resolution 1860) during the UN General Assembly held on January 16. Venezuela’s vote, through the ambassador to the UN, Jorge Valero, contradicts the policy set by President Chávez, who expelled the Israeli ambassador and his diplomatic team from Venezuela on January 7.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY CALLS FOR FULL RESPECT OF RESOLUTION 1860 FROM THE SECURITY COUNCIL
DEMANDING AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE IN GAZA AT THE CLOSE OF THE EMERGENCY SESSION
Resolution Adopted by a Vote of 142-4-8, After a Two-Day Debate;
Expresses grave concern about the situation on the ground since the adoption of the text by the Council
The General Assembly, deeply worried about the escalation of military operations in the Gaza Strip and the high number of civilian casualties since the Security Council approved resolution 1860 last week, demanded tonight full compliance with that text, including its urgent call for an immediate, lasting solution and a fully respected ceasefire, leading to the total withdrawal of Israeli forces and unhindered humanitarian assistance.
Following a special two-day emergency session convened to address the three-week crisis, the Assembly adopted its own resolution on the issue with 142 votes in favor, 4 against (United States, Israel, Venezuela, Nauru), and 8 abstentions (Australia, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Syria). (See Annex II.)
The Assembly urged all parties to do everything possible to ensure, in cooperation with the Council, full and urgent compliance with resolution 1860. It also expressed its support for the Secretary-General’s mission, among other ongoing international and regional efforts, and urged states to expand support for measures aimed at alleviating the humanitarian and economic situation. Finally, the Assembly raised the possibility of resuming its extraordinary session if requested by the Member States.
The text adopted tonight, presented by Egypt, was the result of a lengthy debate over the content and voting procedure, as it replaced a draft proposed yesterday by the President of the General Assembly, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann. The President withdrew his sponsorship of that project after a vote was requested. Ecuador then assumed sponsorship of the text and orally amended it, although it was never put to a vote. Instead, the Assembly, in a procedural vote, decided that it would first take a decision on the Egyptian text.
Speaking after the vote on resolution A/ES-10/L.21/Rev.1, the observer for Palestine stated that the Assembly had sent a very strong message to Israel to end its aggression. He thanked the General Assembly and its President for achieving an almost unanimous vote calling for an immediate ceasefire, promptly followed by the immediate withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip. He appreciated all delegations for pressuring Israel, isolating that country, and compelling it to comply with resolution 1860. If Israel did not comply, his delegation “would go knocking on the Security Council’s door with a Chapter VII resolution.” He hoped the Assembly would stand with the Palestinian people until the shooting stopped, the blockade was lifted, and the borders reopened.
The representative of Israel, explaining his vote against the text, said that many speakers in the “open-ended” session today excelled in rhetoric but not in reality. Israel had become involved in the current situation not by choice, but because it was compelled to do so. Hamas had fired numerous rockets and endangered 1 million innocent Israeli civilians. The resolution had severe flaws since it did not mention Hamas or its use of civilian homes, schools, and mosques to hide weapons and launch terrorist attacks. It also failed to mention Hamas’s enormous efforts to smuggle arms into the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Article 12, section 1 of the UN Charter prohibited the Assembly from making recommendations on matters while the Council was still addressing those issues.
Similarly, the representative of the United States stated that his delegation voted against the text because the situation in Gaza and southern Israel was a serious matter that was best addressed through on-the-ground efforts. The basic elements for a lasting ceasefire had been established. Furthermore, the Memorandum of Understanding on preventing the supply of arms to terrorist groups was signed today between the United States and Israel. A separate General Assembly resolution is neither necessary nor useful.
Abstaining from the vote, the representative of Canada explained that his delegation supported the call in the text for compliance with resolution 1860 to achieve an immediate ceasefire, but regretted not recognizing that Hamas’s rocket attacks had triggered the crisis. Those must be stopped.
In conclusion, the representative of Egypt said he believed that the President of the Assembly had somewhat urged the Security Council to act last week by scheduling the resumption of the emergency session on the same day the Council would meet. He thanked all who voted in favor of the text, as well as those who abstained. “We are all in the same boat,” he said, adding that the resolution did not represent a victory of some over others, but rather a victory for all.
Upon closing the special session, President D’Escoto stated that he would not be as frank if he did not express his deep disappointment. The Assembly was much worse than he had thought. “We will never achieve it if we don’t act in a more decisive and affirmative way.”
Representatives from Brunei, Jamaica, Switzerland, Venezuela, Libya, Jordan, Sri Lanka, the Russian Federation, Nicaragua, Iceland, Kuwait, Oman, Tunisia, China, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Liechtenstein, Pakistan, Australia, Cape Verde, Chile, Maldives, Norway, Rwanda (on behalf of the African Group), United Kingdom, Japan, Benin, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Republic of Korea, Panama, Grenada (on behalf of the Caribbean Community), Comoros, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Afghanistan, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Cyprus, United Republic of Tanzania, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium, Malta, Lebanon, France, Czech Republic (on behalf of the European Union), Costa Rica, Djibouti, Gambia, Cuba, Iran, Federated States of Micronesia, Canada, Syria, Indonesia, and Bolivia also spoke today.
The Permanent Observer of the Holy See also spoke.
The General Assembly will reconvene at a date to be announced.
Link to the text: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/ga10809.doc.htm