Poor nations seek ban on firms building Israel wall

DURBAN, South Africa - Developing nations said on Thursday they backed a boycott of goods from Israeli settlements and could impose sanctions on companies involved in building Israel's West Bank security wall.

The 115-member Non-Aligned Movement said in its final document that it wanted the UN Security Council to adopt a clear resolution chastising Israel and to take further measures to force Israel to stop building the 600km wall.

The group urged the Security Council to establish a register of damage caused by the wall, saying that Israel was obliged to pay reparations because of losses blamed on the wall.

"With regard to member states, the ministers called upon them to undertake measures... to prevent any products of illegal Israeli settlements from entering their markets," the statement said.

The group further called for action "to decline entry to Israeli settlers and to impose sanctions against companies and entities involved in the construction of the wall and other illegal activities in the occupied Palestinian territory."

It did not say how soon its decision would be turned into action or how it would be enforced.

Palestinian United Nations observer Nasser al-Kidwa said he was delighted by the movement's support, saying Israel had virtually colonised the Palestinians.

"Our right to self-determination must not be conditional to anything, it is a basic human right," al-Kidwa said.

Israel is not a member of the group and did not attend the meeting. It says the wall -- a combination of razor-tipped fencing and concrete that is still under construction -- is temporary and needed to keep out suicide bombers.

The Non-Aligned Movement, founded at the height of the cold war in 1961, tends to support the cause of the Palestinians -- one of the key global issues uniting its members. Many within the movement say Israel's reluctance to dismantle the wall is due to the support it has from the United States.

Diplomats at the meeting said Washington has become a major symbol of unilateralism that undermines the movement's multilateral approach to solving global issues.

The movement -- the largest political grouping outside of the United Nations -- also said on Thursday that it wanted the UN to convene a special meeting in the coming months to seek a broader partnership in tackling the Middle East conflict.

- REUTERS