United Nations: The Security Council on Friday again failed to agree a compromise deal that would call for an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and to rocket strikes on the Jewish state as the Libyan envoy sought instructions from his capital.

After day-long bargaining that produced several amendments to a non-binding statement, Libya s UN Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi said he had to refer the latest text to Tripoli.

Ettalhi, the council chair this month and the 15-member body s only Arab representative said, after consulting with UN Arab ambassadors, that he had unspecified problems with a text now accepted by the 14 other members.

He said he hoped to have instructions from Tripoli Monday and would then schedule a council meeting to make a decision.
The United States, which had since Libya first submitted the statement, had been the lone member to raise major objections, put forward amendments and called the latest text "balanced."

"The United States has been actively engaged," US deputy envoy Alejandro Wolff told reporters. "It s regrettable that the Libyan delegation could not agree."
Washington, a staunch ally of Israel, had insisted that Israel had acted in self-defense when it closed crossing points leading to Gaza in the face of rockets fired from the impoverished territory controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas.

The latest draft on the table calls on Israel "to minimize the impact of its actions on the civilian populaton in Gaza" and "to facilitate safe and secure access for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians."

Source : PTI