UN chief resists Israeli pressure to scrap debate on flotilla raid
In meeting with Ban Ki-moon, PM Netanyahu fails to win promise to prevent General Assembly session on Israeli attack on Gaza-bound convoy.

By Barak Ravid
July 10, 2010
Haaretz
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/un-chief-resists-israeli-pressure-to-scrap-debate-on-flotilla-raid-1.301166

An Israeli official said the results of the meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held Wednesday with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon were were not clear, and that Ban had not made any promises. Their meeting focused mostly on efforts to prevent a discussion in the General Assembly of an international commission of inquiry into Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in May.

Netanyahu asked Ban to prevent any such discussion in the General Assembly at least until the the independent commission of inquiry in Israel under Jacob Turkel completes its work.

An Israeli source said the secretary general did not offer a definitive answer and refused to promise anything.

Before the meeting with Ban, there was considerable tension among the prime minister's aides, and much of the preparation involved senior officials in the U.S. administration.

The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, attended a lunch at the White House following the meeting between Netanyahu and Barack Obama on Tuesday.

After a discussion with Rice about the UN and the flotilla, it was agreed that some Netanyahu's aides would travel to New York to meet with the U.S. ambassador there to prepare the ground before Netanyahu met with Ban.

Netanyahu reportedly attributed great importance to his meeting with Ban and at least half of the meeting involved him and Ban alone. The PM briefed Ban on the mandate of the Turkel committee and the role of its foreign observers, adding that it was due to present the government with a report in several months.

Netanyahu also raised Israel's concerns about the establishment of a commission of inquiry by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which will be headed by a former foreign minister of Iceland.