Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Palestinians demand a vote on membership tothe Unesco

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The Palestinian authority request that a sanctions vote in Paris on October 30 its application for full membership in Unesco despite threats from the United States to withdraw their financial contribution to the budget of the organization of the place Fontenoy, announced Wednesday the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riyal al Malki.
On September 23, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had filed a formal request for full membership of the Authority to the United Nations.
The Security Council, where Washington has a veto, is the exclusive right to authorize similar requests and the Americans have indicated that in all likelihood they would use this weapon to block the Palestinian demand.
But the United Nations for Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a UN agency, is available to the Palestinians regardless of their status within the UN in general.
The Palestinian foreign minister said a Palestinian representative would speak Sunday at the General Conference of Unesco, hope the Palestinians would have to vote that day on their application.
"We will use our best efforts, through our ambassador to UNESCO, for a vote on our membership application at the time of intervention," said al Malki Riyal broadcast on the Voice of Palestine .
"We hope our efforts result despite strong pressure from the United States in Unesco," he said in referring to "high threat" under which Americans would suspend assistance to the organization if of affirmative vote.
In the latter case, U.S. law provides for automatic suspension of the financial contribution of the United States, which now accounts for 22% of the budget of UNESCO.
In early October, the Council of the United Nations cultural agency has decided that its 193 member states would vote on the matter by a vote at its plenary conference to be held from October 25 to November 15 in Paris.
A positive vote would be a further step towards recognition as a state that claims to Palestine, which has a far observer status with UNESCO.
Forty of 58 board members voted in favor of the draft resolution, France, the United States, La Romana and Latvia voted against, said a source of Unesco.

Source: Reuters

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