Nine Security Council Members Support Palestine’s UN Bid, says Abbas
BEIRUT, August 18, 2011 (WAFA) - President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday said Palestine was able to get the support of nine out of 15 United Nations Security Council members for the Palestinian move to get UN recognition in September.
Abbas told reporters before leaving Lebanon that he rejected an offer to get an observer status similar to the Vatican at the UN, saying “we want to obtain full membership.”
He added that he asked Lebanon for an advice on how to approach the UN since Lebanon will be president of the Security Council in September and it has a vote as a non-permanent member.
Abbas expressed fear that the United States might pressure other countries to stop supporting the Palestinian move expressing hope that “things will go as planned, particularly if the US abstains and not use the veto as it has threatened.”
Asked about issuing Palestinian passport for Lebanon’s refugees to facilitate their movement, he said he does not approve that because “we are not yet a state” and because Israel allows issuing passports to a certain number of people but that it has now stopped doing this.
He said that he agreed during talks with Lebanese officials to form a joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee to deal with all refugee issues.
T.R./M.A.
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