国际英语新闻：UN Security Council hails launch of inquiry into Israeli raid on Gaza-bound flotilla

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Tuesday extended a welcome to the launch of a panel to probe the Israeli raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla in May.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who holds the rotating Council presidency for August, made the remarks as he was reading a statement to the press here.

"The members of the Security Council welcomed the establishment by the secretary-general of the United Nations of the panel of inquiry on the flotilla incident of May 31, 2010," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council look forward to the successful implementation by the panel of its mandate."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced the creation of a four-member panel to investigate the Israeli raid on the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla, which left nine people killed, including eight Turkish citizens.

The panel, headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoggrey Palmer with outgoing Colombian President Bavaro Uribe as vice chairman, includes a Turk and an Israeli.

The panel is expected to begin its work on Aug. 10 and submit its first progress report by mid-September.

On Monday, Martin Nesirky, Ban's spokesman, told reporters that the new UN panel "is not a criminal investigation."

"It's been tasked with making findings about the facts, circumstances, and context of the incident, as well as recommending ways of avoiding similar incidents in the future," Nesirky said.