UN General Assembly cancels emergency session on Gaza flotilla

President of General Assembly sends letter to member states announcing cancellation of the planned session; some Arab states had reservations about holding the session.

The United Nations on Wednesday officially canceled a planned debate on Israel's May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

In June, Malaysia requested an emergency session by the UN General Assembly to discuss the mid-sea confrontation, which left nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists dead. Malaysia's request received support from Syria and Iran.

But Ali Abdussalam Treki, the president of the UN General Assembly, recently sent a letter to members of the General Assembly saying that the session would not be held.

The decision to cancel the session was not unexpected. Recent discussions held amongst representatives of Arab countries found that there were differences of opinion on the merits of holding an emergency session and that some countries had reservations about the session.

Also, the United States and other western nations opposed holding the session.

"After consulting with member states I have decided not to hold an interactive thematic debate of the General Assembly on the situation in the Middle East as previously envisaged for July 8, 2010," Treki's letter said. "I will continue to consult with member states on the issue and will keep you informed of further developments."

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