UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council on Friday failed to reach consensus on a French-drafted statement that would condemn Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks on a "countdown" to the destruction of Israel.
France's UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere told reporters the non-binding text censuring the Iranian leader for his "unacceptable comments" was supported by a "very large majority of delegations."
"Unfortunately, we were not able to adopt this text today, as we had wished, since one delegation did not have instructions and another delegation had reservations and is going to report back to its capital," he said.
"We think the council has to react. I hope it will be the case on Monday," La Sabliere added.
According to a Western diplomat who asked not to be named, the Qatari delegate said he did not have instructions from his government, while his Indonesian counterpart expressed reservations.
Unlike resolutions, statements by the council require consensus to be adopted.
The French-drafted text states that "members of the Security Council strongly condemn the remarks about the destruction of Israel attributed to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."
It adds that council members "reaffirm the rights and obligations of the state of Israel as a full and long-standing member of the United Nations and ... that under the UN Charter, all members have undertaken to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state."
"Statements by heads of state calling for the destruction of a member state of the United Nations is as a matter of principle unacceptable," US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad also told reporters Friday.
Thursday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the US State Department issued similar statements.
Ahmadinejad on Sunday said a "countdown" had begun that will end with Lebanese and Palestinian militants destroying the Jewish state.
In a speech marking the 18th anniversary of the death of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Iranian president said the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah started the process.

06/08/2007 19:14 GMT