Israel Matzav

Nominee for State Department #3 position says US will veto UDI

The Obama administration's nominee for the third highest position in the State Department, Wendy Sherman, told Senators at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday that the United States will veto the 'Palestinian' call for a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) if it comes before the Security Council.

Sherman's remarks came toward the end of her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in an exchange with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who pressed her to comment on the Palestinian Authority's plan to seek full member state status at the United Nations later this month.

"The administration has been very clear as well ... if any such resolution were put in front of the Security Council, that we would veto it," Sherman testified. She also said that the administration did not expect the issue to come up at the Security Council, as administration officials were working hard to seek an alternate path.

"So it sounds like you're very confident that the United States would remain committed with great resolve to the veto threat," Lee said, making sure he heard her correctly.

"The United States is very resolved to a veto threat in the Security Council. What we are very resolved about as well is urging the parties to enter into direct negotiations again," Sherman responded.

Sherman noted correctly in her testimony that the issue could be raised in the U.N. General Assembly, in which case the United States would not have a veto option.

...

"My understanding, from briefings I've had at the State Department, is there has been a very broad and very vigorous demarche of virtually every capital in the world, that this is high on the agenda for every meeting the secretary has with every world leader," Sherman said.

JPost adds:

George Mitchell, the former US special envoy for Middle East peace, said Thursday there was little chance US officials would be able to persuade Palestinians leaders not to seek greater recognition at the United Nations.

"I think there was and is little likelihood that they will succeed in that effort," Mitchell said at a conference on peacemaking at Georgetown University in Washington.

I don't know about the rest of you but I would feel a lot better about this if Obama or Clinton said it. It still feels like we're playing a game of footsie on this.

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Hillary Clinton, Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, Unilateral declaration of independence (UDI), US veto

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:53 PM