July 10, 2013

UN Security Council Presidential Statement on Lebanon, US Mission to the UN

http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/211756.htm

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The Obama administration, which this month holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, has circulated a Security Council "presidential statement" on the deteriorating situation in Lebanon. The unusually lengthy statement was supposed to be a catalogue of what's really going wrong in Lebanon. Except...there was not one word about "Hezbollah." That's how the Obama administration conducts international diplomacy. Naming terrorists is avoided for fear of offending somebody. Despite being charged with protecting international peace and security, the Security Council consistently avoids identifying Arab terrorists who threaten international peace and security. The administration's predilections fit right in. In this case, the Council statement did make plenty of references to "all parties." But naming those parties? No. There were references to "new security challenges." But naming Hezbollah backing Assad? No. The closest the Council got was referring to "the involvement of Lebanese parties in the fighting in Syria." But naming those mysterious Lebanese parties? Just couldn't manage it. The exercise was like talking about 9/11 and not mentioning Al Qaeda. Little wonder the Council is impotent on Syria, on Iran....