World News Story

01 December 2008 22:16 BST

UN security council fails to agree on Gaza statement

The United Nations security council has failed to agree upon a statement on the crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Libya, the current chair of the council, blamed the abandoning of the draft statement on the United States after the other 14 members supported its wording.

"The members realised that they cannot reach a consensus concerning this," said Tripoli's representative in the security council, Giadalla Ettalhi.

"Why the United States rejected the amendments produced by Libya, I think this is a question to be put to them."

Gaza is currently facing an Israeli border blockade, with the only route out of the territory at the breached southern Rafah crossing into Egypt.

More than half of the territory's 1.5 million residents are thought to have crossed the border since the perimeter fence was blown up by militants last week.

The security council had been meeting to prepare a non-binding draft statement following a request from the Arab League, but it is understood Washington was unwilling to criticise Israel for locking down its borders.

Alejandro Wolff, the US deputy ambassador, told reporters the draft statement failed to address the "illegal coup usurping power from the legitimate Palestinian Authority by the terrorist group Hamas".

Ryan Mansour, the Palestinian observer at the UN, commented: "It is very unfortunate that the security council was unable to agree a simple statement."

Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has vowed to maintain the blockade on food and fuel supplies until Hamas stops firing rockets into its territory.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas representatives are due to attend separate talks in Cairo today on how to resolve the situation at Rafah, which is the only route out of Gaza that bypasses Israel.

Mr Abbas wants to see his presidential guard assume control of all crossings out of Gaza, but Hamas is demanding a role.