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Political and Security Affairs Regional Issues Near East

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Political and Security Affairs Regional Issues Near East Part 1 Political and Security Affairs Regional Issues Near East Arab-Israeli Situation The United States actively pursued the vision of a two-state solution of Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security. The United States continued to work in partnership with the other members of the Quartet (the United Nations, European Union, and Russia) to achieve progress on the Quartet’s Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (―Roadmap‖). The Security Council met monthly to discuss the situation in the Middle East. On July 8, Libya submitted to the Security Council a draft resolution on the situation in the Middle East, focusing in large part on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank. The draft did not take note of ongoing terrorist rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza, nor did it explicitly acknowledge the Roadmap’s obligation for a permanent end to rocket, mortar, suicide, and other attacks targeting civilians, and for regional states to cut off funding and other means of support to groups supporting and engaging in violence and terror. The U.S. Delegation opposed the resolution as being unbalanced. The Security Council was unable to come to a consensus on the Libyan draft, and following a decision by Arab League ministers, the draft resolution was not brought to a vote. On September 19, the Security Council held its monthly meeting on a ministerial meeting on the situation in the Middle East at the ministerial level.. Most speakers focused on Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories. Secretary Rice underscored the importance of the work of the Quartet and noted that there was now a viable peace process with Israelis and Palestinians negotiating. There was no Security Council action as a result of the session. On December 3, the Security Council met in debate to discuss the situation of a Libyan ship, bound for Gaza and carrying humanitarian supplies, which was turned around by the Israeli navy. The Security Council did not reach any specific conclusion during the debate. On December 5, the Security Council President released elements to the press addressing events in Hebron and specifically welcoming Israel’s evacuation of settlers, condemnation of the resulting settler violence, urging respect for the rule of law without discrimination or exception, and encouragement of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to continue their security cooperation in the Hebron Governorate. On December 16, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1850, sponsored jointly by the United States and Russia, by a vote of 14-0 with Libya abstaining. The resolution endorsed the principles established at the November 2007 Annapolis Conference and recognized the progress that has 6 United States Participation in the United Nations—2008 Political and Security Affairs been made thus far. It called on the parties to fulfill their obligations under the Performance-Based Roadmap, noted the importance of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, and encouraged the work of the Quartet. This was the first Security Council resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in five years. On December 28, the United States joined other members of the Security Council in issuing a press statement expressing serious concern at the escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip. The Security Council called for an immediate halt to all violence, specifying that the parties should stop immediately all military activities and address humanitarian and economic needs. The statement came in the context of renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas after Hamas escalated rocket attacks against Israel (in November) and formally announced on December 19 that it would not extend a six-month pause in violence. Israel, which had indicated a willingness to extend the pause in violence, responded by warning Hamas that it would retaliate militarily if rocket attacks continued. Israel launched an air campaign against Hamas and Hamas-related targets on December 27 in response to Hamas’s ongoing campaign. The situation remained unchanged at year's end. The 63rd General Assembly’s regular session in the fall of 2008 voted on 21 resolutions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and related issues, up from 19 resolutions adopted in 2007. The United States opposed many of these resolutions because they addressed final-status issues that the Israelis and Palestinians must decide through negotiations; advocated activities or language incompatible with basic principles of the Middle East peace process; or expended resources that could be used in more productive ways to improve the lives of the Palestinian people. During the 63rd General Assembly, the United States continued its efforts to target three resolutions that renewed the mandates of UN entities that embody institutional discrimination against Israel: the Division for Palestinian Rights, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories. Support for the first two of these resolutions decreased somewhat between 2007 and 2008, a reflection of strong U.S. diplomatic efforts that convinced several members to abstain. The number of those opposing the resolutions, however, remained constant. The 63rd General Assembly adopted these resolutions by votes of 106-8(U.S.)-57, 107-8(U.S.)- 57, and 95-8(U.S.)-73, respectively. Separately, on December 11, both the United States and Israel joined consensus on a General Assembly resolution on assistance to the Palestinian people. Throughout the year, U.S. representatives spoke out forcefully and frequently in numerous UN bodies to ensure that Israel was not excluded from or isolated at UN meetings and conferences and that Israeli interests were given fair consideration. 7 United States Participation in the United Nations—2008 Political and Security Affairs Iran Throughout 2008, Iran continued to augment its uranium enrichment program, construct the Arak heavy water research reactor, and operate the heavy water production plant, also at Arak, in clear violation of Iran’s obligation under Security Council Resolutions 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), and 1803 (2008) to suspend those activities. Iran made pronounced progress on its enrichment program during 2008. As stated in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report of February 2008, Iran was operating approximately 3,000 centrifuges and had produced 75 kilograms of low enriched uranium product. At the end of 2008, Iran was installing, testing, or operating an additional 3,000 centrifuges and had produced over 800 kilograms of low enriched uranium hexafluoride. Installation-related work continued for a further 9,000 centrifuges and Iran was testing two new, advanced centrifuge designs. During this period Iran refused to cooperate with the IAEA investigation into its past efforts to develop a nuclear warhead. Iran held some discussions with the IAEA, but ultimately refused IAEA attempts to resolve questions with the information available to it by rejecting the documentation as ―forgeries‖ and accusations as ―fabricated.‖ As of August 2008, Iran had refused all attempts by the IAEA to restart these discussions and Iranian representatives repeatedly labeled the IAEA investigation closed. Iran also rejected IAEA requests to carry out inspection activities at the Arak reactor, despite the fact that the IAEA’s authorities in this regard are an instrumental part of Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. The IAEA noted repeatedly that, in the absence of such inspections and owing to Iran’s completion of the reactor dome, its ability to verify the design of the reactor and the absence of any potential proliferation pathways was compromised. In response to the threat presented by Iran’s continued pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, the United States remained actively engaged throughout 2008 both in the Security Council and the IAEA to pressure Iran to comply with its international nuclear obligations. The Security Council and the IAEA took a number of actions against Iran, culminating in the adoption of a fifth Security Council resolution in late September, Resolution 1835. Building upon its efforts in 2007, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1803 on March 3, 2008, imposing additional, legally binding sanctions on Iran under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Resolution 1803 reaffirmed the provisions in Resolutions 1696, 1737, and 1747 and built upon those provisions by broadening the scope of the proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities and nuclear weapons delivery systems-related embargo, establishing a travel ban on persons designated in an annex to the resolution as well as on any additional individuals designated by the Security Council or the Security Council's Iran Sanctions Committee ("1737 Committee"), and expanding the lists of individuals and entities subject to the asset freeze and of persons subject to the travel notification requirement. In addition, the Security Council called upon all states to exercise vigilance with regard to publicly provided financial support for trade with Iran, and, in accordance with states’ national 8 United States Participation in the United Nations—2008 Political and Security Affairs legal authorities and legislation and consistent with international law, to inspect cargoes to and from Iran of aircraft and vessels, at their airports and seaports, owned or operated by Iran Air Cargo or the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), provided there were reasonable grounds to believe the aircraft or vessel was transporting goods prohibited under Resolutions 1737, 1747, or 1803. In cases where an inspection was undertaken, the Security Council required all states to submit to it within five working days a written report on the inspection. Resolution 1803 also broadened the scope of the 1737 Committee’s mandate as set out in Resolution 1737 to include the measures imposed by Resolutions 1747 and 1803. The Security Council requested the IAEA Director-General to report within 90 days on Iran’s compliance with the terms of the resolution.
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