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| Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, speaks to reporters at the U.N. headquarters |
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By Louis Charbonneau
44 minutes ago
The chief Palestinian U.N. observer, Ambassador Riyad Mansour, participated in the 193-nation assembly's election of a judge for the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Koffi Kumelio Afande of Togo was elected to the court.
It was the first time the Palestinians cast a vote since their U.N. status was upgraded a year ago this month to "non-member state" from "entity," like the Vatican. The vote has been perceived as a de facto recognition of Palestinian statehood.
"This is a very, very special moment in the history of the struggle of the Palestinian people at the United Nations," Mansour told a small group of reporters.
"It's a symbolic (step)," he said. "But it is an important one because it reflects that the international community, particularly the General Assembly, is hungry and waiting for the state of Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations."
The upgrade of the Palestinians' status last year came after an attempt to secure full U.N. membership failed because of U.S. resistance in the Security Council, where Washington made clear it would use its veto power to block the Palestinian bid.
But no country has veto power in the General Assembly, which is why the Palestinians had no trouble securing status as a non-member state. The status upgrade allows them to participate in some assembly votes and join some international organizations...READ MORE
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