The
U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday allowing what it
officially recognizes as the “State of Palestine” and the Vatican to
raise their flags outside of U.N. Headquarters and U.N. offices.
In a 119-8 vote, with 45 abstentions, the
General Assembly approved a move allowing the two nonmember observer
states to raise their flags following the flags of member states.
The resolution calls on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to implement it within 20 days.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian permanent
observer at the United Nations, has previously said the action would be
another step in solidifying the Palestinian government’s presence in the
international arena.
The Palestinian Authority gained nonmember observer state status at the United Nations in November 2012.
Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations, told the General Assembly before the vote that the
United States is committed to achieving the peace between Palestinians
and Israelis but “raising the Palestinian flag outside the U.N.
Headquarters is not an alternative to negotiations and will not bring
the parties closer to peace.”
The United States voted against the resolution.
According to Mansour, there are at least two open spots for flags to be posted outside U.N. Headquarters in New York.
No comments:
Post a Comment