UN Chief Mulls New Probe Into Gaza Flotilla Raid

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. chief demanded Wednesday that Israel immediately lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip and indicated he may eventually launch his own probe of the deadly commando raid on activists' aid flotilla.

"This tragedy only highlights the serious underlying problem," Ban Ki-moon told reporters. "The long-running closure imposed on the Gaza Strip is counter-productive, unsustainable and wrong. It punishes innocent civilians. It must be lifted by the Israeli authorities immediately."

Ban said the results of a fact-finding mission focused on the legality of Israeli actions, as authorized earlier in the day by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, would be useful in a broader probe he envisions.

Any such probe, he said, should consider "all the aspects" of the Israeli pre-dawn attack on the six-ship aid flotilla in international waters bound for Gaza that set of clashes killing nine pro-Palestinian activists and wounding dozens of others.

"I will try to make it as credible, impartial and transparent as possible," Ban told reporters, after emerging from a flurry of talks with the Security Council's major powers and Israeli, Turkish and Arab diplomats.

"The Israeli authorities must provide, as soon as possible, a full and detailed accounting of the events surrounding the incident, including information on the detained, wounded and killed," he said.

The Human Rights Council added its condemnation of Israel's actions for what it called an "outrageous attack" and set up an inquiry into possible violations of international law. Islamic nations proposed the resolution that was opposed by the United States, Israel's closest ally, and by Italy and the Netherlands.

Israel's army said the commandos used force after they landed on the deck of the ships and were attacked by activists.

Israel has refused to cooperate with previous probes ordered by the 47-nation council. That includes an investigation into the 2009 Gaza war headed by former U.N. war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone which concluded that both the Israelis and Hamas, which controls Gaza, committed war crimes.

Earlier this week the 15-nation Security Council -- where the United States has one of five permanent veto-wielding seats -- called for "a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards."

Ban would not say whether he believes that resolution specifically authorized him to appoint a commission to conduct an independent probe, one of "various options" he was mulling. But in his answers to reporters' questions, he clearly seemed to imply the answer was yes.

"I do not think that we need to have any (more) Security Council statement or resolution on this issue," Ban said.

"Once investigation is done that should deal with all the aspects of this incident," he said. "On the basis of fact-finding, they should be able to judge whether it is a violation of human rights and humanitarian laws. But that will have to be seen later when this commission is constituted."

Mexico's U.N. Ambassador Claude Heller, this month's council president, told a news conference Wednesday the probe is "a matter of first importance." He said Ban "has to be involved" in it and council members expect him to launch one.

U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff, however, said the U.S. believes Israelis "are capable of conducting a full investigation."

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, however, said the U.S. is "open to ways to assure a credible investigation, including international participation."