(Updates with meeting ending, paragraph 9)

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday questioned the value of monthly public meetings of the U.N. Security Council on the Middle East, saying the angry speeches delivered often made the problem worse.

"The polarization and divisions of the United Nations membership over the conflict all too often manifest themselves as heated political statements," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told this month's meeting of the 15-nation council.

These "do little to help advance the cause of peace or help the Palestinian people in any tangible way," he said.

The meetings have been held for the past six years and focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Lebanon. They typically consist of a briefing from a senior U.N. official followed by speeches from council members and other parties with a direct interest in the situation.

Khalilzad said the United States wanted to see a "difference on the ground" in the Middle East and an effort to negotiate creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"If these types of meetings do not contribute to that effort, or worse, if they fuel the tensions that impede constructive engagement, then we need to ask ourselves whether the public format of debates in New York truly helps create the environment necessary" for a solution, he said.

Khalilzad told reporters later that some countries used the meetings "for posturing, for finger-pointing, for further polarizing, for scoring points."

The United States is a strong supporter of Israel and Khalilzad's comments appeared mainly aimed at Arab speakers. He stopped short of calling for the meetings to be stopped, urging countries to use them instead to promote peace.

CRITICAL SITUATION

The U.S. envoy's remarks appeared to have little effect, as the meeting ended like many previous ones, with an exchange of accusations pitting Israel against Syria, Sudan, representing Arab countries, and Cuba, representing non-aligned states.

Earlier, Palestinian representative Riyad Mansour lashed out at the "illegal and destructive policies of Israel" in the Palestinian territories.

Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas of wreaking "havoc and daily terror" by firing rockets at Israel from Gaza, where it seized control last year. But he paid tribute to "the moderate, legitimate Palestinian Authority" based in the West Bank.

Both speakers called on the international community to do more to support peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, which have shown little progress since they were relaunched at a conference in the United States last November.

Mansour told journalists the peace process was in a "very critical situation."

Opening the meeting, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped the talks could achieve their goal of an agreement by the end of this year.

"This process is too important to be allowed to lose momentum through inaction or indifference, or to be overwhelmed by violence. It is essential that it receives the support of the international community, including this council," he said.

The council has been paralyzed this year in trying to make formal statements about violence between Israelis and Palestinians by disagreements between the United States and new member Libya. Such statements have to be unanimous.

Mansour expressed support for recent efforts by Russia to convene a new Middle East conference in Moscow and said he had heard it could take place in June. (Editing by Todd Eastham)

AlertNet news is provided by