U.S. makes U-turn on U.N. Gaza vote

By Sue Pleming

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In an apparent reversal of earlier promises to Arab states, the United States on Thursday abstained from voting on a Gaza ceasefire resolution at the United Nations Security Council.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the decision to abstain was because the United States first wanted to see the outcome of Egyptian mediation efforts to end the 13-day Israeli offensive which has killed more than 750 Palestinians.

"The United States thought it important to see the outcomes of the Egyptian mediation efforts in order to see what this resolution might have been supporting. And that is why we chose to abstain tonight," she said.

The U.S. abstention lessens the resolution's clout and could weaken pressure on close U.S. ally Israel to abide by the U.N. decision, which also called for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Hamas-ruled Gaza. The council's other 14 members voted for the resolution.

Western and Arab diplomats said they had expected Rice to vote for the resolution and cited a phone call she had with U.S. President George W. Bush immediately before the vote.

State Department officials did not immediately respond to e-mails and phone calls about why the United States ultimately decided not to back the resolution.

Before taking her seat in the Security Council chamber, Rice huddled with Arab ministers and told them of the U.S. decision to abstain.

"We sensed her sincerity as the secretary of state personally," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told Reuters.