22/06/2010 12:12
Leave on shelf investigation of Israeli raid, says Ehud Barak
Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Monday urged the UN chief to suspend plans for a UN-backed independent investigation of the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month.
After his meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN Headquarters in New York, Ehud Barak said "We expressed our view that for the time being, as long as ... new flotillas are in the preparation, it's probably better to leave it (a U.N. investigation) on the shelf for a certain time," as Reuters quoted him as saying.
Israeli navy commandos raided an international aid flotilla bound for Gaza on May 31, killing nine pro-Palestinian activists. The attack was strongly condemned by the international community and organisations who demanded on investigation of the deadly raid. After international pressure Israel agreed to ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip.