On
Gaza, Mansour
Tells ICP No
Deal Yet on
Any Draft,
State
Vote
Preparations
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 16 --
Amid news from
Gaza,
the UN
Security
Council
in New York
was silent,
closed tight
after a 3 pm
meeting about
Abyei
and Sudan. Two
Permanent
Representatives
told Inner
City Press of
pending
"product" --
that is, draft
proposals --
about
Gaza.
A well placed
mission said
it was "old
language from
the
December [28]
2008 press
statement on
Gaza" but that
it is "not
flying." Inner
City Press set
out to figure
out the state
of
play.
Inner
City Press
spoke
exclusively
with
Palestine's
Permanent
Observer
Riyad Mansour
and asked him
if there is,
in fact, an
Arab draft
resolution or
statement
being proposed
to the full
Security
Council.
Mansour
told
Inner City
Press, "We are
working on
that, you
know, so far
a deal has not
been reached,
unfortunately."
He said, "the
Israelis have
decided to
expand the
operation,
including a
limited
land
operation, I
don't know
what that
means, and
expanded
aerial
bombardment."
At least one
live-stream
from Gaza was
reporting both
the "capture"
of an Israeli
- this was not
picked up in
other media,
at least not
yet -- and a
lull in aerial
bombing, which
it said could
be the calm
before a
storm.
Mansour told
Inner City
Press, "There
might be a
meeting for
the Arab
council
Ambassadors
either tonight
or tomorrow.
The foreign
ministers
meet tomorrow
win Cairo and
we'll see."
Inner
City Press was
aware of a
meeting
between
Palestine and
General
Assembly
President Vuk
Jeremic, whose
proposal for
increased UN
funding for
that Office
Inner City
Press covered
earlier on
Friday.
Of this
meeting,
Mansour told
Inner City
Press, "With
the
President we
informed him
of this
development...
You know the
S-G
[Ban
Ki-moon]
is going to
the region...
We talked with
him about
preparations
for November
29."
This last "he"
referred, it
seems clear,
to Vuk
Jeremic. The
29th is the
day set for
a vote on Palestine's
draft
resolution to
become a
non-member
State of the
UN. Watch
this site.
, 
