President Mahmood Abbas

RAMALLAH: Palestinian officials yesterday reiterated their commitment to make a fresh bid for upgraded UN membership on Sept. 27.

Nimr Hammad, political adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the UN upgrade request would definitely go ahead, but confirmed the date would only be set “in the upcoming weeks.”

“The decision to go to the UN has been made by the Palestinian leadership and is no longer up for discussion. The date will be set in the upcoming weeks based on whatever serves Palestinian interests,” he told AFP.

“We want to ensure the largest international support for the decision and also ensure the voting would be in favour.”
Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told AFP the date would be decided next week when Abbas meets the Arab League in Cairo.

“The president will have Palestinian, Arab and international consultations to set a date for the UN bid to present the request for non-member state status for Palestine,” he said.

“The president will visit Cairo to attend the Arab League follow-up committee meeting on September 5 and 6 which will set a date for the Palestinian bid seeking a status upgrade to non-member state.”

Last September, President Abbas made a high-profile effort to obtain full member status for Palestine at the UN, but the request was never put to a vote in the Security Council where the US had pledged to veto it.

On August 4, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki had said Abbas would make the upgrade request on September 27 during the UN General Assembly.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said there was no date set for the application, but said the Palestinians would submit a draft resolution to the General Assembly which was likely to win support from “more than half” of the 193 member states.