(Reuters) Evelyn Leopold - The UN Security Council failed to agree on how to condemn Monday's clash between Lebanon's Hizballah guerrillas and Israeli forces, mainly because of disputes between the U.S. and Algeria. Pro-Syrian Hizballah guerrillas raided north Israel in an unsuccessful attempt to capture Israeli troops; four Hizballah fighters were killed. Algeria, the only Arab member of the council, objected to putting the blame on Hizballah, according to participants at the consultations. UN undersecretary-general for political affairs Ibrahim Gambari said in Jerusalem that the attacks showed the importance of the Lebanese government extending control over all its territory, a reference to Hizballah's domination of the south. The Beirut government has been unable to disarm Hizballah as demanded by UN Security Council Resolution 1559, adopted in September 2004. The U.S. condemned the attack as deliberately provocative, saying it had been timed to coincide with Lebanon's independence day Tuesday.
2005-11-23 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive