|
Palestinians experienced a diplomatic victory in Paris on Monday as symbolic as significant towards the recognition of their state, obtaining the status of full member of UNESCO, one of the major UN agencies.
The United States announced Monday that they suspended their payments to the UNESCO. And Israel denounced "a corrupt Palestinian unilateral manipulation that would not change a thing but cause further withdrawal from the possibility of a peace agreement."
The Palestinians have got a clear vote of the General Conference of UNESCO, which brings together all member states: 107 in favor, 52 abstentions and 14 votes against. "The General Conference decides on the admission of Palestine as a member of UNESCO," says the resolution.
It is really a historic moment for Palestine to makes some of its rights in each Palestinian consular service in the world. Palestine is the cradle of religions and civilizations", Riyad al-Malki welcomed the Member States to the Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority. "The entry of Palestine brings the number of UNESCO Member States to 195," the organization said in a statement. She added to that of Southern Sudan, passed last Friday. The overwhelming majority of Arab, African and Latin American countries voted for membership, as well as France, which had however expressed serious reservations about the Palestinian approach.
The EU divided it: eleven states voted in favor, eleven abstained, including the United Kingdom and Italy, and five, including Germany, voted against. Many Westerners believed that the application to UNESCO could not precede the completion of the action taken by the Palestinians at the UN in New York. Canada is "not happy" about membership and participation challenges, according to its Foreign Minister, John Baird, also using web hosting.
Ottawa contributes about $10 million per year to the budget of the agency. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formally asked on September 23 at the United Nations to recognize the Palestinian state. This request must be reviewed by 11 November by the Security Council, where it could be hit by a U.S. veto.
The US, through the voice of the Spokesman of President Barack Obama, said the vote at UNESCO was pre-mature and counterproductive to say the least within the context of an expected re-examination of peace negotiations. France, for its part, explained its vote. "Today, the question that was asked was whether the international community responded yes or no to the application for membership of Palestine to UNESCO," said the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Valero.
For the moment it is, we must take responsibility and respond on the merits. According to the Israeli Ambassador Nimrod Barkan, countries that supported the accession of Palestine would "weaken" their ability to influence Israel.
This embarrassing admission especially of the Americans, place it in an awkward position vis-à-vis UNESCO. The full support of Palestinians, so far received from the observer, should cause the cessation of their financial contribution to the organization or $70 million and 22% of its budget.
After having stayed away for 20 years (1984-2003) as a protest against the third World mismanagement and ideology, the United States now participates actively in the programs of the body, and sees it as a channel for the disseminating of some Western values ??without first getting in line. The Palestinians want the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to be the first site listed under Palestine in World Heritage, 2012.
|