Qatari UN envoy: Palestinians must decide whether to turn to Security Council or General Assembly, find way to win undecided states' support.
By JPOST.COM STAFFNassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Palestinians are still undecided on their strategy for pushing forward their statehood bid at the United Nations later this month, Qatari envoy to the UN Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser said on Tuesday in an interview with daily pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat.According to the report, Nasser explained that the Palestinians will need to determine whether they will submit their statehood bid first to the UN General Assembly to receive a declaration of support for their plans and a possible upgrade from non-observer status to observer status.A second option would be to request directly from the Security Council that a Palestinian state with full member status be declared.RELATED:Fatah calls for mass marches in cities ahead of UN voteIsrael holds out little hope PA state bid will be stoppedAccording to Nasser, should the Palestinians choose to first turn to the General Assembly, more than 120 states will vote in their favor."In the event that they go to the General Assembly, they will find a way to word [their bid] so that the countries that are still undecided will be able to support it," he said."They have a rich history in what will benefit or harm them, and will take these political circumstances [into consideration] to make the right decision for their future."
Nasser will serve as the president of the upcoming General Assembly.The Qatari envoy's comments come after US President Barack Obama's statement Monday night that the Palestinian Authority's statehood bid in the UN is a "distraction" and will not help solve any of the issues on the ground, according to AFP.Obama added that any attempt to pass a resolution recognizing Palestinian statehood in the Security Council would be vetoed by the US.
