On
Gaza, As
Russia Cites 3
Opponents of
Morocco
Statement,
Threatens
3 pm Vote
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 19 --
After the 6 pm
Gaza
consultations
called on
press
statement
pitched by
Morocco since
last Thursday
night, Russian
Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin
came out
first. He said
"one, two or
three
countries"
have issues
with the press
statement, but
that
it will be
"under
silence"
procedure
until 9 am on
Tuesday.
He
said if the
press
statement is
not agreed to,
he will call a
3 pm
Tuesday vote
on Russia's
draft
resolution on
Gaza,
which Inner
City
Press obtained
and put online
before 5 on
Monday.
But
when Moroccan
Ambassador
Loulichki and
Palestine's
Observer Riyad
Mansour spoke
later at the
stakeout,
their message
was that if
the
press
statement
couldn't be
agreed, they
would call for
an "open
public
meeting" of
the Security
Council. They
said the focus
is
on the
Moroccan press
statement.
Now,
which are the
three
countries
raising
questions?
Sources tell
Inner
City Press
they are the
United States,
the UK and
Germany. But
one of
these alluded
to a common
European
position --
and there are
four
Europeans on
the Security
Council, what
with France
and Portugal.
Mansour
said
Palestine is
going forward
with the
November 29
vote for
Observer State
status. He
said that in a
mere hour on
Monday, the
resolution
picked up 30
sponsors, and
predicted
"over 100"
by the end of
Tuesday. Watch
this site.
, 
