Egypt regrets UN failure to pass Egypt-drafted resolution on Jerusalem

CAIRO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Monday expressed regret at the UN Security Council's failure to pass the Egypt-drafted resolution on Jerusalem due to the U.S. veto.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that the resolution reflects the international community's rejection to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision that aims at changing the status of Jerusalem.

Trump, breaking away from decades-old U.S. policy of neutrality on the issue, announced on Dec. 6 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ordered to move the U.S. embassy to the disputed holy city.

This has infuriated the Palestinians and Arab countries, which have strongly protested against the U.S. move. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem, now occupied by Israel, as the capital of their future independent state.

Egypt filed a draft resolution to the UN Security Council urging the U.S. to rescind Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The U.S. on Monday vetoed the resolution, which was approved by 14 other members of the council, in reflection of the depth of global opposition to Trump's action, Zeid said.

He added that the Arab group in the UN will convene later to assess the situation and determine the next step in order to defend the status of Jerusalem. Enditem