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Abbas wants quick UN vote
Source: Agencies |
September 25, 2011, Sunday
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THE Palestinians want the United Nations Security Council to decide on their bid for full membership of the world body within two weeks, a leading official in the Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday.
"Palestinians will wait two weeks for Security Council to consider application for membership," the official, Azzam al-Ahmad, told the Maan news agency.
Lebanon's UN ambassador said the Security Council would convene tomorrow to discuss the application after Abbas presented it to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday.
"I circulated the letter (Palestinian application) to all members of the Security Council and I called for consultations in light of this letter on Monday at three in the afternoon," Ambassador Nawaf Salam said.
Ahmad did not elaborate on what course of action the Palestinians would pursue if the Security Council rejected the request, a likely scenario considering the US has said it will veto the move.
Abbas's statehood bid reflects his loss of faith after 20 years of failed peace talks and alarm at Israeli settlement expansion in occupied land that Palestinians want for a state.
It was unclear if the required nine of the body's 15 members would support the bid.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki said officials were still hoping to garner the required votes.
Alternate to the Security Council, the Palestinians, who have observer status at the UN, could ask for the General Assembly to vote to upgrade them to a non-member state.
"Palestinians will wait two weeks for Security Council to consider application for membership," the official, Azzam al-Ahmad, told the Maan news agency.
Lebanon's UN ambassador said the Security Council would convene tomorrow to discuss the application after Abbas presented it to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday.
"I circulated the letter (Palestinian application) to all members of the Security Council and I called for consultations in light of this letter on Monday at three in the afternoon," Ambassador Nawaf Salam said.
Ahmad did not elaborate on what course of action the Palestinians would pursue if the Security Council rejected the request, a likely scenario considering the US has said it will veto the move.
Abbas's statehood bid reflects his loss of faith after 20 years of failed peace talks and alarm at Israeli settlement expansion in occupied land that Palestinians want for a state.
It was unclear if the required nine of the body's 15 members would support the bid.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki said officials were still hoping to garner the required votes.
Alternate to the Security Council, the Palestinians, who have observer status at the UN, could ask for the General Assembly to vote to upgrade them to a non-member state.
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