Libya presented a document calling for "an immediate and complete end" to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank to the UN Security Council on Friday.
Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi, left, shakes hands with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi during their meeting in Sirte, Libya, Friday.
Photo: AP
The draft statement was presented in closed meeting following the monthly Security Council meeting on the Middle East. An open hearing of the matter is being delayed until Vietnam takes over the presidency of the Council from the United States in July. A hearing could happen sometime next week.
The document, which was written by Saudi Arabia and the Arab League, condemns "the acceleration of Israeli settlements" and calls on Israel to cease all "construction, expansion and planning" in the occupied territories, including in east Jerusalem.
Friday's meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed on Russia's request, to enable its representatives to watch their national team play Spain in the semifinal of the European soccer championship.
It remains unclear how the United States will vote. The US is expected to ask for some changes, but it is unlikely it will veto the statement altogether.
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