Coronavirus: US reversal scuppers UN vote on global pandemic ceasefire

The country’s delegation declared it could not support the current draft, without further detail, after nearly two months of difficult negotiation

When asked for an explanation of the US move, a State Department official said that China had ‘repeatedly blocked compromises’

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Flags of the United Nations and the United States of America are seen in New York City. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:11pm, 9 May 2020Updated: 9:40pm, 9 May 2020

The United States has stunned other members of the UN Security Council by preventing a vote on a resolution for a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world to help troubled nations better fight the coronavirus pandemic, diplomats said.

Washington’s reversal on Friday came a day after it agreed to the text, negotiators said under cover of anonymity.

“The United States cannot support the current draft,” the country’s delegation declared, without further detail, to the 14 other Security Council members, after nearly two months of difficult negotiation over the text.

The latest stalemate continues to leave the global peace and security body largely mute in the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic that has killed more than 270,000 people and raised further fears for the world’s most vulnerable.

Tires burn as Palestinian youths use sling shots to hurl rocks at Israeli troops on Friday. Photo: AFP

When asked for an explanation of the US move, a State Department official said that China had “repeatedly blocked compromises that would have allowed the council to move forward.”