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UAE postpones UNSC session to vote on ceasefire in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Dec 2023 00:31
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The delay is intended to allow for further negotiations highlighting the lack of consensus among the UNSC member states on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The United Nations headquarters building is seen from inside the General Assembly hall, on Sept. 21, 2021 (AP)

The UN Security Council has opted to postpone a new session to vote on a resolution aiming to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, AFP reported citing diplomatic sources.

The session which was scheduled for Monday at 22:00 GMT was postponed upon the request of the UAE, who had originally called for convening the session, until Tuesday.

The delay is intended to allow for further negotiations and is now anticipated to be rescheduled for Tuesday, sources informed AFP.

The draft resolution had explicitly called for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities" in Gaza, emphasizing the importance of enabling "safe and unhindered humanitarian access" to the besieged Palestinian strip.

The postponement of the vote suggests that UN diplomats are yet to find common ground, underscoring the challenges in reaching a consensus on the pressing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Earlier this month, during a prior session of the Security Council to vote on a ceasefire in Gaza, the US representative exercised veto power to prevent the resolution from passing.

The US deputy representative at the UN, Robert Wood, said the resolution was "divorced from reality" and "would have not moved the needle forward on the ground."

Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of a brief draft resolution, presented through the UAE, and Britain abstained. The vote came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked the UN charter’s Article 99 for it on Wednesday.

"The United Arab Emirates is deeply disappointed," said the representative of the UAE who had sponsored the resolution calling for a ceasefire.