US hopes to get to 'good place' as it engages with countries on UN Security Council resolution

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Blinken on Wednesday said the US hopes to get to a "good place" as it continues to engage with several countries to resolve some outstanding issues on a UN Security resolution on Gaza.

“We continue to engage extensively and constructively with a number of countries to try to resolve some of the outstanding issues in this security council resolution,” Blinken told reporters during a year-end press briefing.

“But the purpose of the resolution as stated by the countries that put forward is to facilitate and help expand humanitarian assistance that is getting into Gaza, and we fully support that,” he said.

“The United States from day one, as I would argue, (has) done more than any other country to make sure that that could happen,” he added, citing the opening of the border crossing at Kerem Shalom as a result of efforts by the US.

"We're engaged, as I said, in very good faith with other countries,” he said. "I hope we can get to a good place".

Voting on a UN Security Council draft resolution that seeks the suspension of hostilities in Gaza to deliver aid was postponed on Tuesday for the second time in a row.

The members of the Security Council are expected to vote on the draft resolution on Wednesday.

The text, which was drafted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

Reaffirming that all parties to conflicts must adhere to their obligations under international law, it also requests that a UN monitoring mechanism be deployed expeditiously.

Earlier Tuesday, Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told reporters that the members were still working on the text with other players.