Mandate given to UN fact-finding mission in Gaza unacceptable: US
September 18th, 2009 - 1:04 am ICT by IANSNew York, Sep 17 (DPA) The UN Human Rights Council had given an “unacceptable” mandate to the fact-finding mission in the Gaza Strip led by South African judge Richard Goldstone, a US diplomat said Thursday.
Goldstone’s findings released this week accused both Israel and Palestinian militant groups of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the December-January conflict in Gaza, which the mission said killed at least 1,400 people.
Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said Washington has had “serious concerns” about the mandate given to the four-member Goldstone mission by the Geneva-based council. The US officially took its seat in the 46-member body in early September.
“We have long expressed our very serious concerns about the mandate given by the Human Rights Council prior to our joining it,” Rice said in her first reaction to the findings by Goldstone Tuesday.
“We view the mandate as … one-sided and basically unbalanced,” she said. She also objected to Goldstone’s recommendations, including one for the 15-nation Security Council to investigate and refer the war crimes to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
The US is holding the rotating presidency of the Security Council for September. It is unlikely that the council would follow through with the recommendations this month because of a series of already scheduled meetings.
Rice urged both Israelis and Palestinians to look to the future in order to resolve their conflict.
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