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It was the raised American hand that raised eyebrows. Why did US Secretary of State Rice abstain on a UN Gaza ceasefire resolution she worked so hard to craft with European allies, and whose goals she announced she agreed with? Publicly, Rice says the Egyptian peace proposal by President Mubarak should be given more time. Rice was a whirlwind during the resolution debate with Arab nations, shuttling between meetings. But there was a delay before the vote and Rice could be seen huddling with Arab foreign ministers. The State Department Press Corps searching for other reasons pressed Rice's spokesman.
"I think she explained it, look, it's a nuanced argument . I understand that. But we did as we tried to come up with what we thought was the best possible solution. (Detail) I can only offer you first-hand accounts. You're welcome to your interpretations here in the room."
Elsewhere, a US official indicated the decision to abstain came from higher-ups in Washington and not from Rice who wanted to vote yes on the resolution.
But at the end of the day, you may get instructions to do something a little bit different than what you thought you were really starting to do at the outset. We've all encountered that, er, from time to time. And at the end of the day, the shots are called in the capital.
Arab diplomats were not surprised and were just glad to avoid the United States blocking the resolution, a ceasefire call neither Israel or Hamas is complying with.
Of course, it's extremely disappointing that so far, it has been ignored by both sides.
A US official was not surprised the Security Council resolution has been ignored. He said it will work over time, just not immediately. The US supports the resolution's concepts if not inside the Security Council Chamber.
Richard Roth, cnn United Nations.