Palestinians won backing yesterday to lead the biggest bloc of developing countries at the UN, raising their profile at the world body despite opposition from the US and Australia.
The General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to grant the observer state of Palestine temporary rights to act as chair of the Group of 77 plus China, a bloc of 134 countries at the UN.
A resolution drafted by Egypt was adopted by a vote of 146 to 3 with 15 abstentions. The US, Israel and Australia were the only three countries to oppose the measure in the 193-nation assembly.
US ambassador Nikki Haley branded the decision a “UN mistake,” recalling that the “Palestinians are not a UN member state or any state at all” and should not be granted privileges reserved for full-fledged members. “Today’s UN mistake undermines the prospects for peace by encouraging the illusion held by some Palestinian leaders that they can advance their goals without direct peace negotiations,” she said.
The result came as no surprise as the G77 had agreed last month to give the Palestinians the chair and could easily garner enough support in the General Assembly to win approval for the measure.
The resolution gives the Palestinians, who take up the year-long chair in January, additional rights such as the authority to submit proposals on behalf of the G77 and request that they be put to the vote. The measure does not, however, change the status of the Palestinians, considered a non-member observer state at the UN without voting rights at the General Assembly.
Read the article in The Australian (AP).