The UN Security Council has failed to agree on a statement condemning a deadly Israeli attack on a UN observer post in Lebanon after the United States blocked language that appeared critical of Israel.
During a daylong debate, council members made numerous changes to a text put forward by China, which lost one of the four officers killed in the attack.
Their patience ran out when Washington demanded the deletion of language condemning "any deliberate attack against UN personnel".
Qatar, the council's sole Arab member, then said it needed time to consult with its government overnight, and the deliberations adjourned until this morning. A policy statement needs the approval of all 15 council members.
China's UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, called for a strong statement of condemnation after an Israeli air attack destroyed the UN post in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing peacekeepers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland.
The attack prompted UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to ask Israel to investigate what he termed the "apparently deliberate targeting" of the UN observer post.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, while expressing "deep sorrow" over the deaths and agreeing to an investigation, said he was shocked at the suggestion the attack was deliberate.
US Ambassador John Bolton said there was no evidence the attack was deliberate.