UN: The UN Security Council put aside its struggle over a new Iraq resolution yesterday for an emergency debate on the Israeli siege of Mr Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.
UN: Addressing the council, the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, warned Israel that it was conducting "a bankrupt policy" on the West Bank that encouraged extremism. Mr Annan also denounced Palestinian suicide bombings as "morally repugnant".
The council worked late last night on a resolution critical of Israel and condemning terrorism, diplomats said. The US, eager to gain international support for a resolution on Iraq later in the week, indicated it might not use its veto as in the past on resolutions critical of Israel.
The Palestinian UN observer, Mr Nasser al-Kidwa, denounced the Israeli assaults on Mr Arafat's compound as "grave and illegal criminal acts" and accused Israel of defying three decades of Security Council resolutions.
The US ambassador, Mr John Negroponte, criticised the siege of Mr Arafat's compound as "not helpful" in ending Middle East violence.
President George W. Bush again pressed the Security Council yesterday to approve a tough new resolution against Iraq.
The text of a US-UK resolution authorising force against Iraq if weapons inspectors are not allowed "unfettered" access to weapons sites could be submitted to the Security Council later today, according to diplomatic sources.