The United Nations says Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal and the stalemated peace process must commence.

Under Secretary General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe, in a briefing to the Security Council, said on Thursday that Tel Aviv’s continued settlement activities are in clear violation of its international obligations.

While noting what he said were legitimate Palestinian security concerns, Pascoe stressed that sustainable security will best be achieved by intensified cooperation, the continued empowerment of the Palestinian Authority’s security efforts and performance, and the curtailment of incursions by the Israeli military into the Palestinian areas.

The UN, he said, remains deeply concerned at the current stalemate in the Middle East peace process and voiced hope that both the Israelis and the Palestinians will accept a proposal put forward to restart talks.

The Palestinian Authority has conditioned the resumption of peace talks to a complete freeze in Israel’s settlement expansion, while Tel Aviv has ignored such calls.

Another point Pascoe stressed was the poor quality goods entering Gaza through the Israeli crossings.

“Sufficient materials to restart civilian reconstruction are still not entering Gaza through the Israeli crossings,” he said and expressed disappointment that there has been no satisfactory Israeli response to the UN’s proposal to “complete stalled projects for housing, schools and health facilities.”

Israel has rejected United Nations demands of an independent probe into its last year war on the Gaza Strip which claimed the lives of more than 1,400 Palestinians.

A senior official in the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday that the report Israel gave UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the investigations it is conducting into Operation Cast Lead earlier this month is sufficient.

“Israel feels the report it gave was a serious, comprehensive, credible and complete answer to the UN secretary-general,” the official said.

“We believe that we conduct credible investigations and that we have procedures in place to investigate these types of matters that are as good as exist in any country in the world,” he added.

Israel’s rejection comes as Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly urged Tel Aviv to allow an independent inquiry into the Gaza war.

The United Nations blasted Israel last week for what it called Israel’s un-reliable report.

The UN report led by former South African judge Richard Goldstone concluded last September that Israel carried out “deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects” in January-December war on Gaza.

The 575-page UN-ordered report asserts seven incidents in which Palestinian civilians were shot while leaving their homes, trying to run for safety or waving white flags.

In November 2009, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that accuses Israel of war crimes and criminal acts against humanity during the weeks-long onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

In an official report to the United Nations, Israel acknowledged that its military had “endangered human life” through the use of phosphorous munitions against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In Israel’s response to the Goldstone report on war crimes in Gaza, the regime admitted that its military forces fired white phosphorous bombs at a heavily populated area on January 15, 2009 in Gaza, Reuters reported.

The shells that damaged a UN Relief and Works Agency compound contained incendiary white phosphorus, the use of which is condemned by human rights groups.

According to the Israeli document, two senior officers, Brigadier-General Eyal Eisenberg and Colonel Ilan Malka, “exceeded their authority in approving the use of phosphorus shells”.

The document also mentioned that the shells were fired “in violation of the rules of engagement prohibiting use of such artillery near populated areas.” It added that the officers, who still run their previous posts, have been disciplined.

Eisenberg still heads Israel’s Gaza division and Malka, an infantry brigade commander, is still in charge of military operations in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military, however, has denied reprimanding the officers, Haaretz reported on Monday.

A report released by a UN fact-finding team headed by South African Judge Richard Goldstone in September 2009 accused Israeli military forces of war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

The United Nations General Assembly later adopted a resolution giving Israel and the Palestinians three months to undertake “independent, credible investigations” into serious violations of international law and human rights committed during the conflict in Gaza.

According to the Goldstone report Israel used disproportionate force and failed to protect civilians during the war which killed more than 1,350 Palestinians in the territory.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has described the catastrophe in the Central American nation as the “most serious humanitarian crisis” faced by the United Nations in Decades.

“I am going to Haiti with a very heavy heart to express solidarity and full support of the UN to the people of Haiti,” the UN secretary-general told journalists accompanying him on the day-long trip to the disaster zone on Sunday, AFP reported.

“We have to prepare for the worst,” Ban added, referring to UN employees still missing after the disaster that flattened much of the capital Port-au-Prince and nearby towns in western Haiti.

On Saturday, Hedi Annabi, the Algerian head of the UN mission in Haiti, was found in the rubble. The bodies of his deputy Luiz Carlos da Costa and Doug Coates, who served as chief of the UN police force in Haiti, were also recovered from the toppled Christopher Hotel, where the mission was headquartered.

Haitian Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime says the death toll the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that hit the nation could reach 200,000.

It is difficult for rescuers to provide the survivors the aid supplies as the poor country’s infrastructure like ports, airports and roads are either ruined or badly damaged.

According to the UN chief the first priorities of the world body is to rescue as many people as possible, bring emergency humanitarian aid in the form of water, food and medication, and coordinate the massive aid effort.

By Saturday, more than 70 people were pulled out alive. Aftershocks continue to rattle the capital as survivors are in urgent need of aid.

Meanwhile, amid desperation and hunger, Haitian police have opened fire on a group of looters, killing one of them.

An Iranian lawmaker says based on United Nations estimates Baghdad still owes Tehran up to a trillion dollars in compensation for wartime damages.

“According to UN evaluations, Iraq must pay us one thousand million dollars for initiating the [eight-year] war against Iran,” a leading member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said on Sunday.

“Iran, however, is a country that has turned a blind eye to many of issues such as this concerning Iraq. Till now, we have never brought up these matters and naturally we will never enter into quarrel with Iraq,” Hossein Ebrahimi told Mehrnews on Sunday.

The cleric made the comments as he responded to a question about US media reports that Iranian forces had taken control of an oil well within Iraqi borders in the Fakkeh region.

Ebrahimi said that the misunderstanding would “definitely” be cleared up through diplomatic channels, as Iran did not planning to let anything disrupt its relations with Iran.

The lawmaker made the remarks as an Iranian border official announced that his country’s forces resumed their former position after taking down a barricade recently built by Iraqi soldiers near the disputed oil well.

“Iranian forces returned to their previous posts last night after removing the new barricade that Iraqi soldiers had build next to the disputed oil well in a Thursday operation,” the official who was speaking on condition of anonymity told Press TV’s correspondent.

“Iraqi forces had erected the now disassembled barricade next to the No. 4 oil well in Fakkeh,” said the official.

Comments made by the Iraqi deputy interior minister also confirm that officials in Baghdad believe that the site is in a disputed area.

“This news is not true. This field is disputed and now it is neglected by both sides. There was no storming of the field, it’s empty, it’s abandoned, it is exactly on the border between Iraq and Iran,” Ahmed Ali al-Khafaji was quoted as saying.

Iran and Iraq have agreed to set up an arbitration commission to clear up the misunderstanding.

In a Saturday telephone conversation, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari decided that setting up such a commission would be the best way to approach the problem.

Members of the Non-Aligned movement (NAM) have expressed support for Iran’s nuclear energy program, rejecting double standards on the issue.

During a meeting at the United Nations in New York on Friday, NAM members rejected double standards on the nuclear rights of signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

They said that all NPT members should enjoy equal rights to nuclear energy technology.

Addressing the meeting, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Mehdi Khazaii said Tehran is prepared to continue talks with the P5+1 group on its package of proposals.

He stressed Iran will not abandon its inalienable right to peaceful nuclear technology.

Khazaii said Iran strongly adheres to its international commitments, but will not bow to political and economic threats.

Iran has allowed regular inspections of its nuclear installations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

The IAEA has asserted that Tehran’s nuclear program is aimed at the civilian applications of the technology. Western countries, however, accuse it of seeking nuclear weaponry.

Ambassadors of the Non-Aligned Movement countries in the United Nations held a meeting in New York on Thursday over Iran’s nuclear program.

Participants of the meeting which was headed by the Egyptian Ambassador to UN, announced their support for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear work, stressing that all NPT member states should enjoy equal nuclear rights.

IRI’s permanent representative to UN Mohammad Khazaee said Tehran is ready to continue the Geneva talks based on Iran’s package of proposals, stressing that the Iranian nation would not relinquish its nuclear right.

He said Tehran is still committed to the international regulations and its obligations but it would not tolerate political and economic pressures and threats.

The Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations who also read out a statement on support for Iran’s nuclear rights, told IRIB reporter that NAM is against any double standard policy towards NPT members over their nuclear rights.

“It is regrettable that peaceful nuclear activities of Iran has concerned the Western countries but the real threat of the Zionist regime’s nuclear weapons are ignored,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Ambassador to UN said the imperialist countries should abandon their double standard behaviors and respect the other countries’ rights.

He stressed that Venezuela supports Iran’s enrichment right.

Peace activists have carried mock coffins through New York City to protest against President Barack Obama’s receiving of the Nobel Peace Prize.

On Thursday, about 50 demonstrators walked from outside the United Nations to the military recruiting office on Times Square in central Manhattan.

Walking to a slow drumbeat, they carried black cardboard coffins, the first of which was draped in the US flag.

Earlier on Thursday, during a Nobel peace ceremony in Oslo City Hall, President Barack Obama had warned that he would not hesitate to wage war if it was “morally justified.”

Meanwhile, several thousand people marched through Oslo to denounce nuclear weapons and the war in Afghanistan.

Also on Thursday, as President Obama was receiving his Nobel Peace Prize, the Pentagon’s top military officer announced that 16,000 US troops have received their orders for Afghanistan.

Adm. Mike Mullen said at a news conference that the first to go — a battalion of Marines — will arrive in southern Afghanistan next week.

Officials are moving to get the bulk of the 30,000 additional troops into the war zone by summer.

The United Nations has called on Iraq’s president to set a final date for the country’s general election after the country’s lawmakers reached an agreement over the electoral law.

A spokeswoman for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said a quick announcement was needed to kick-start election preparations, AFP repotted Monday.

“We now want the Iraqis to set a date as soon as possible so that election organizers can start the administrative process,” said Eliana Nabaa.

“The UN has previously said that holding the poll on February 27 would be feasible”, she added.

The election which was originally set for January 16 has had to be delayed due to a long running row over the new electoral law which was finally was adopted on Sunday.

The agreement followed Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s Saturday call for an “emergency parliamentary session” to decide the fate the country’s new election law.

The presidency council, made up of Talabani and his two deputies, now has to announce a date for the poll which would be the second national vote since the American-led invasion of 2003.

The United Nations atomic watchdog has convened for a two-day meeting to discuss the Iranian nuclear program.

According to AFP, the 35-member board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began two days of deliberations covering various topics, including Iran, North Korea, Syria and a Russian proposal for a fuel bank.

It will be the last meeting under the leadership of Egyptian diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei, who will step down as the IAEA Director General on November 30, after 12 years in office.

The meeting comes after ElBaradei rejected a proposal by the Iranian government to exchange low-enriched uranium (LEU) in a simultaneous swap on Iranian territory.

Speaking at the opening of the two-day meeting, ElBaradei said he was “disappointed” by Iran’s refusal to accept the IAEA-proposed deal, which envisages Iran shipping out most of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) to be further enriched and returned to the country for the Tehran medical research reactor.

“I am disappointed that Iran has not so far agreed to the original proposal or the alternative modalities, both of which I believe are balanced and fair and would greatly help to alleviate the concerns relating to Iran’s nuclear program,” he told the IAEA governing board.

The Iranian officials have firmly rejected the idea, mainly because there are no concrete guarantees that the country would in fact receive the nuclear fuel it requires.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has announced that Iran’s enriched uranium supply will not be sent abroad to be exchanged with the fuel rods needed for the Tehran medical reactor.

He instead said that although Iran would prefer to buy the 20 percent-enriched uranium rather than exchanging it with the LEU, the country would consider the latter option as long as it takes place inside the Iranian territory.

Iran has strongly denounced a resolution which accuses the country of violating human rights, calling it a ‘dark stain’ on UN credibility.

Members of the United Nations human rights committee Friday adopted a non-binding resolution which criticizes Iran for alleged human rights violations.

The resolution adopted with only 74 votes in favor, 48 against and 59 abstentions expresses concern at what it calls “the serious, ongoing and recurring human rights violations” in Iran.

At the UN General Assembly meeting, Iran’s ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaee rejected the resolution as “highly politically charged and motivated” and called it “a dark stain” on the UN record of human rights activities.

He said those who sponsored the resolution were wrongly assumed to be supporters of human rights. “They are those who voted ‘no’ to a resolution condemning the Zionist regime war crimes in Gaza and also opposed the international calls for trying Israeli officials.”

Khazaee took a swipe at Canada and Israel in particular, calling into question their human rights violations.

He said Israel had a long history of crimes against the Palestinians. He also criticized Canada for violating human rights including discrimination against the native peoples.

The non-binding resolution also drew harsh criticism from representatives of the Non-aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), who called it a “politically motivated” measure which undermined human rights activities.

Deputy of IRI permanent representative to the United Nations Eshagh Alhabib described on Friday terrorism as a serious threat to peace and security of the world, urging confronting the threat with an all-out approach.

Speaking to a session of the United Nations Security Council, he said main reasons behind the contemporary world terrorism is occupation or isolation of other countries and adoption of selective behaviors or hegemonic economic and political policies.

He criticized the double standard policies of the Western countries in their confrontation against terrorism.

Referring to a decision made by the EU council of ministers about removing the name of terrorist group MKO (Monafeghin) from the list of terrorist groups, he described the measure as an example of the West’s double standard policies.

In another part of his remarks he said the expansion of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is an inhumane, immoral and illegal act adding the Islamic Republic of Iran as a member of all international conventions of non proliferation of WMD believes that the best way for preventing terrorists from gaining access to such weapons is to destroy all of them completely.

He then referred to the recent terror acts of Iran-based terrorist group Jundullah with the support of certain countries and urged all world governments to remain committed to their international obligations in fighting against terrorism.

IRI’s Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Khazai said a draft resolution put forward by the UN Human Rights Council over the Zionist regime’s crimes would provide an opportunity for the UN to bring the regime’s officials to court as war criminals.

IRI’s Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Khazai said a draft resolution put forward by the UN Human Rights Council over the Zionist regime’s crimes would provide an opportunity for the UN to bring the regime’s officials to court as war criminals.

Addressing the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Khazai welcomed the assembly’s measure in taking up a UN human rights report that divulges the criminal acts that ‘Israel’ has committed against the innocent Palestinian people in the past winter’s invasion of Gaza.

The ambassador said the report of the UN fact finding mission confirmed the clear violation of human rights and international laws by the Zionist regime and confirmed that the regime has committed war crimes against humanity.

Khazai further said the invasion of Gaza Strip left over 1400 Palestinian civilians killed including more than 300 children and 115 women.

The Zionist regime violated the priliminary rules of human rights by deliberately targeting non-military areas, he added.

He reiterated that the report confirms that the Zionist regime has attacked a mosque and killed 15 prayers and that it has fired phosphorous weapons and cluster bombs in the invasion and used innocent people as human shield.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has urged the United Nations to put an end to what it called the intervention of neighboring countries in Iraq’s internal affairs.

“It is time for the UN to act to stop the bloodshed,” Maliki said during a meeting with UN special envoy Oscar Fernandez-Taranco on Monday.

“We believe that a UN statement warning neighboring countries and requesting them not to interfere in our internal affairs would be the best way to mediate,” AFP quoted him as saying.

The Prime minister had earlier charged that 90 percent of foreign fighters who enter Iraq come through Syria, including the terrorists accused of carrying out the August attacks.

Maliki repeated the accusations over Syria’s intervention in Iraq’s recent bombings, saying that three of the people behind the twin bombings in central Baghdad last week confessed to receiving help from the country.

“Three members of the Baath Party were responsible for the recent terrorist operation,” he said. “They were receiving support from the Syrian Baath Party and confessed to this.”

Maliki had formerly accused Damascus of sheltering militants he believes masterminded a string of bomb attacks inside Iraq.

Baghdad witnessed its deadliest bomb attacks in two years, after a two-ton van and a minibus exploded simultaneously outside the Justice Ministry and city government offices last week. The bombings left at least 155 people dead and over 600 others injured.

An al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for the blasts, describing it “the second phase in the fight against infidels.”

Despite opposition of America and its allies, the nuclear disarmament resolution proposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran has been approved by the first committee of the United Nations General Assembly.

Based on the resolution, UN General Assembly will urge nuclear countries to fulfill their obligations according to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as well as agreements reached in 1995 and 2000 conferences.

The resolution also obliges the General Assembly to implement the Middle East resolution of 1995 conference and force the Zionist regime to join NPT and let IAEA to inspect the regime’s nuclear installations.

America, France, Britain, the Zionist regime and some other countries voted against the resolution.

Positive vote of the Non Aligned Movement’s member states approved the resolution. Despite the western countries’ opposition, it is the third time that UN general Assembly approves disarmament resolution proposed by IRI.

The United Nations has approved a draft resolution proposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran on destruction of nuclear weapons under international supervision.

The resolution was ratified at the First Committee of the UN General Assembly despite the opposition of the United States and its allies.

Based on the resolution, the UN General Assembly calls upon all nuclear countries to comply fully with all commitments made regarding nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation and not to act in any way that might compromise either cause or lead to a new nuclear arms race.

It also asks member states to take the necessary measures to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in all its aspects and to promote nuclear disarmament, with the objective of eliminating nuclear weapons.

The assembly stressed that Israel join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and allow its nuclear installations to come under supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The United State, France, United Kingdom and Israel voted against the resolution.

The United Nations has warned Washington about indiscriminate use of drone strikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan, saying that it may be breaking humanitarian law.

The UN rights investigator said the United States has done nothing to demonstrate that its not randomly killing civilians in violation of international law through the use of drones.

“My concern is that these drones — these predators — are being operated in a framework which may well violate international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Philip Alston told a press conference on Tuesday.

“The onus is on the government of the United States to reveal more about the ways in which it makes sure arbitrary extrajudicial executions aren’t in fact being carried out through the use of these weapons,” the top official added.

The UN investigator also criticized Washington for refusing to respond to UN concerns regarding the use of drone aircrafts in the troubled South Asian region.

“We need the United States to be more up front… otherwise you have the really problematic bottom line that the CIA is running a program that is killing significant numbers of people and there is absolutely no accountability in terms of the relevant international laws,” Alston stressed.

According to independent reports, since August 2008 alone, around 70 cross-border predator strikes carried out by American drones have resulted in the deaths of 687 Pakistani civilians.

Back in June, the US told the UN Rights Council that it has an extensive legal framework to respond to unlawful drone killings.

Washington also said that the UN investigator did not have the mandate to cover military and intelligence issues.

On Tuesday, US democratic Senator John Kerry said drone attacks will continue in Pakistan’s Waziristan tribal region, despite rising public outrage.

This is while Pakistani officials have repeatedly warned the US about such attacks, saying that it infringes the country’s sovereignty.

The United Nations and Venezuela have condemned a bloody terrorist attack, which killed dozens in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.

At least 42 people, including senior commanders from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Nour-Ali Shoushtari and Rajab-Ali Mohammadzadeh, were killed in a Sunday morning bombing carried out by the Pakistan-based Jundullah separatist group in Pishin, a borderline region in southeastern Iran.

“The secretary-general strongly condemns yesterday’s terrorist attacks in the Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran which resulted in the death of a large number of people and many injured,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s office said in a statement on Monday.

Venezuela also denounced the Sunday terror act, saying the South American government was a “revolutionary brother” of Iran.

A Venezuelan foreign ministry statement said that Caracas “energetically and decisively condemns the attack carried out against a meeting of community leaders and a group of commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps”.

Britain, Pakistan and the US also have all condemned the terrorist attack and denied any involvement in the bombing, in which dozens were also injured.

Iran, however, says it has evidence that the deadly attack was launched from Pakistan and that the US and Britain aided the Pakistan-based Jundullah terrorist group that claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a telephone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, said the presence of terrorist elements in Pakistan was ‘unjustifiable’ and urged Islamabad to ‘quickly confront’ the Jundullah terrorists.

The ring has been behind a torrent of bombings and terrorist attacks in Iran.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said America is the most debtor countries to the United Nations.

In a report to the UN General Assembly over financial situation of the UN, Ban said America’s unpaid assessed contributions — comprising the regular budget and peacekeeping total 1.274 billion dollars.

While US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, in her first address in the organization 10 months ago stressed that America would pay off old debts to the UN, but the latest report showed that the country has not yet paid its debts.

The UN General Assembly in a resolution in 2000 reduced some debts of America to encourage the country to pay back its debts.

Based on the United Nations’ charter, member states should meet their financial obligations to UN in full and on time but some countries use their debts as a weapon for putting political pressure on the body.

According to the UN Secretary-General’s report, Japan, Spain, South Korea, Ukraine and China are respectively the top debtor countries to UN after America.

Muslim fighters in north Yemen declare readiness to open humanitarian corridors for thousands of civilians driven out of their homes by fierce battles in the region.

In a statement posted on the Internet, the Houthi fighters said they would secure routes linking the camps for the displaced, but urged that the corridors be directly controlled by the United Nations.

The anti-government forces demanded a guarantee that the authorities would not use the routes to send in reinforcements for the Yemeni troops in the north.

The UN appealed on Sunday for the protection of the homeless civilians, in line with the international humanitarian law, warning that women and children accounted for 80 percent of the most vulnerable.

The feuding sides must “allow us to reach those who need assistance, rapidly and without hindrance,” the world body’s humanitarian chief, John Holmes, emphasized at the end of a three-day visit.

Some 150,000 people have been displaced or affected by the conflict since 2004, more than one-third of whom have fled since the army’s latest offensive against the Houthi fighters in the northern Saada province.

The Yemeni army launched a massive operation near the border with Saudi Arabia on August 11 to crush Houthi Muslims who accuse the government of neglect and discrimination against Yemen’s Houthi minority, accounting for almost 30 percent of the country’s population.

A Yemeni-based UN refugee officer, Andrew Knight, said about 65,000 displaced people are in the northwestern province of Hajjah, and an estimated 55,000 people are still living in Saada, mostly in abandoned buildings, in the mountains, and on roadsides in the war zone, The Los Angeles Times reported.

This is while Mazraq camp in Hajjah, the only UN camp for the displaced Yemenis, has no running water, electricity or even bathrooms, leaving about 40 percent of camp residents suffering from diarrhea. Nearly 20 percent of the children are malnourished in the relief center, where the spread of malaria has become a growing concern.

The Sana’a government has been plagued by massive protests in the south, where people are calling for a return to their formerly independent South Yemen, prior to the unification of the north and the south in 1990.