by Benson Agoha
* Mahmoud Abbas (pictured right) signs the letters Ramallah on Tuesday.
Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas has taken a step further to achieving independent statehood for Palestine.
On Tuesday, April 1, Abbas signed a request to join 15 United Nations, as well as other, agencies at the Headquarters Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, according to media reports.
But the move is said to be contrary to an assertion by US Secretary of State John Kerry that the PA President was not applying for any UN affiliated agencies.
According to the Times of Israel, the 15 international treaties and conventions to which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applied for membership on Tuesday included groups affiliated to the United Nations.
* Mahmoud Abbas (pictured right) signs the letters Ramallah on Tuesday.Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas has taken a step further to achieving independent statehood for Palestine.
On Tuesday, April 1, Abbas signed a request to join 15 United Nations, as well as other, agencies at the Headquarters Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, according to media reports.
But the move is said to be contrary to an assertion by US Secretary of State John Kerry that the PA President was not applying for any UN affiliated agencies.
According to the Times of Israel, the 15 international treaties and conventions to which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applied for membership on Tuesday included groups affiliated to the United Nations.
The Israeli news media said that Abbas signed letters seeking accession to the UN Convention against Corruption, at a televised ceremony on Tuesday evening, including "the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, The International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and other UN treaties."
Adding “These treaties are vital to continued Palestinian institutional building, good governance and the upholding of human rights, all of which form the basis for an independent and sovereign State of Palestine. Palestine will pursue this non-violent track, including all possible diplomatic venues, in a way which serves the best interests of its people and the cause of a just peace.”
* Photo credit: AFP/AM/ToI.
The paper said Abbas indicated his anticipation that membership would be smoothly granted.
The letters were delivered to the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry and to representatives from Switzerland and the Netherlands on Wednesday morning, ToI said
"These treaties and conventions will help to protect and promote basic rights of the Palestinian people and will enable the State of Palestine to be a responsible actor on the international stage,” said Ashraf Khatib, a communications adviser for the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department.
"These treaties and conventions will help to protect and promote basic rights of the Palestinian people and will enable the State of Palestine to be a responsible actor on the international stage,” said Ashraf Khatib, a communications adviser for the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department.
Adding “These treaties are vital to continued Palestinian institutional building, good governance and the upholding of human rights, all of which form the basis for an independent and sovereign State of Palestine. Palestine will pursue this non-violent track, including all possible diplomatic venues, in a way which serves the best interests of its people and the cause of a just peace.”
But ToI said US Secretary of State, John Kerry "had denied that any of the 15 agencies where Abbas applied are affiliated with the UN", in defence of the move by Abbas acused of breaching "the understandings with the US and Israel under which peace talks were resumed last July."
“Let me make it absolutely clear: None of the agencies that President Abbas signed tonight involve the UN. None of them,” Kerry reportedly said, adding “And President Abbas has given his word to me that he will keep his agreement and that he intends to negotiate through the end of the month of April.”
“Let me make it absolutely clear: None of the agencies that President Abbas signed tonight involve the UN. None of them,” Kerry reportedly said, adding “And President Abbas has given his word to me that he will keep his agreement and that he intends to negotiate through the end of the month of April.”
The papaer Abbas applied to join treaties and conventions, as opposed to UN branches, agencies or programs, such as, for example UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — which admitted “Palestine” as a full member in 2011.
Efforts intensified in recent days to try and get the peace negotiations back on track after Israel slowed slowed move to make good an earlier offer to free more than 400 Palestinian prisoners on the condition that the April deadline for the peace talks is extended.
As Israeli politicians kicked against a mass release of prisoners, Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu declared there would no blanket release of prisoners without a compartible compromise from the Palestinian Authority.
But ToI reported that Ashraf Khatib maintained on Tuesday that the Palestinians would not walk away from the negotiations before their scheduled end of April deadline, saying “The PLO is committed to negotiations until the 29th April, as agreed.”
Despite the promises the latest effort at the peace talks - an all-night meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators - has reportedly ended without breakthrough as the Palestinian Authority maitains a hard-line stance, according agency reports.
* Follow me on Twitter(follow): @bensonagoha and @woolwichonline.As Israeli politicians kicked against a mass release of prisoners, Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu declared there would no blanket release of prisoners without a compartible compromise from the Palestinian Authority.
But ToI reported that Ashraf Khatib maintained on Tuesday that the Palestinians would not walk away from the negotiations before their scheduled end of April deadline, saying “The PLO is committed to negotiations until the 29th April, as agreed.”
Despite the promises the latest effort at the peace talks - an all-night meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators - has reportedly ended without breakthrough as the Palestinian Authority maitains a hard-line stance, according agency reports.
* Photo credit: AFP/AM/ToI.
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