Al Arabiya, Dubai/United Nations, 27 September 2011
The U.N. Security Council will meet Wednesday to start the process of formally considering the Palestinian request for membership in the world body, the council president said Monday.
Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam, who holds this month’s rotating presidency, made a brief appearance before reporters Monday and issued a statement in English and Arabic. He said the council had met Monday afternoon and decided to take up a decision on referring the issue for further consideration in two days, The Associated Press reported. That will consist of forming a committee to study the Palestinian submission.
The United States has said it would use its Security Council veto to block Palestinian membership should the measure receive the necessary nine of 15 votes. That would keep the membership bid from moving forward to the 193-member General Assembly for the needed two-thirds vote. A vote in the Security Council was not expected for weeks, at the least.
As a result of the continued Israeli intransigence and disruption of the peace process, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls upon all member states of the United Nations to state of Palestine on the border of June 4, 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to grant it full membership of the United Nations
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal urged the U.N. on Monday to accept the Palestinians’ request for full membership in the world body and to recognize it as an independent state, adding more pressure on Washington.
“As a result of the continued Israeli intransigence and disruption of the peace process, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls upon all member states of the United Nations to state of Palestine on the border of June 4, 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to grant it full membership of the United Nations,” Prince Faisal said, according to Reuters.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe confidential diplomacy, said Monday they were telling fellow council members that there’s no rush to act on the bid submitted Friday over U.S. and Israeli objections. The U.S. is also seeking cooperation from other members in persuading the Palestinians not to push for a quick vote.
The U.S. hopes that going slow may allow Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to resume without a confrontation at the world body.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants talks without conditions and is refusing to halt the new settlements, according to AFP.
Earlier Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Makati at the U.N. to make the U.S. argument. Lebanon, the only Arab member of the 15-member Council, is expected to support the Palestinian bid.
Senior U.S. officials said Clinton had made separate, similar calls to the foreign ministers of Colombia and China, both of which hold council seats.
The Palestinian envoy to the U.N. Riyad Mansour said he was grateful to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for quickly forwarding the request to the Security Council. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday submitted the application that Palestine becomes the United Nations’ 194th member.
“We hope it will lead to fast action in positively recognizing that Palestine be admitted,” Mansour said.
But he admitted that several countries would be coming “under tremendous pressure” not to recognize Palestine as a state and said the Palestinians are sending high-level delegations in the coming days to Bosnia, Gabon and Nigeria – all council members – to elicit support for their bid.