General Assembly defies Washington and grants Abbas an international platform.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

The General Assembly challenges Washington and grants Abbas an international platform New York – Bahr Alarab In a remarkable move, the United Nations General Assembly voted today, Friday, in favor of allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his speech via video technology before the annual meeting of world leaders, after the United States refused to grant him a visa to enter New York. The decision came with an overwhelming majority of 145 votes in favor, compared to 5 countries objecting and 6 others abstaining, as the Assembly expressed its "regret" over Washington's decision and called for it to be reversed. The US authorities had refused to grant visas to President Abbas and about 80 Palestinian officials from the PLO and the Palestinian Authority who intended to participate in the UN meetings, which are expected to witness the recognition of the State of Palestine by a number of countries. In the same context, several countries, including Britain, France, Australia and Canada, announced their intention to recognize the Palestinian state during the General Assembly meetings this month. Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa also revealed that his Luxembourgish counterpart, Luc Frieden, had officially informed him of his country's intention to recognize the State of Palestine during the "Two-State Solution" conference scheduled to be held in New York next Monday. Mustafa praised Luxembourg's position, stressing that it constitutes real support for Palestinian institutions and efforts to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.