Palestinians, US battle for UN Council votes
Palestinian envoys are battling for UN Security Council votes to back their effort to win full UN membership, while the United States is using its diplomatic big guns to make the bid fail.
The Security Council held its first meeting to discuss the application on Monday and is to meet again today to formally send the request made by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to a membership committee.
The Palestinian campaign faces an uphill struggle as the United States has vowed to veto any resolution backing their application. No vote at the 15-member council is expected for several weeks however and frenzied lobbying has started.
On top of campaigning at the UN, the Palestinians are to send high level delegations to council members Bosnia, Gabon and Nigeria in a bid to win backing, Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters.
The United States and Israel, which insist that only direct negotiations can produce an accord, are lobbying furiously for council members to oppose or abstain in the resolution.
If the resolution does not get nine votes in favour it will fail and the United States will not have to use its veto.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the Palestinian bid with Lebanon's Prime Minister Nijab Mikati at the UN headquarters before Monday's meeting, US officials said. Lebanon holds the council presidency in September and has backed the Palestinian bid.
She also raised the case Monday with Colombia's Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin.
However, a senior UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on the sidelines of the Clinton-Mikati talks that he saw "little hope" for new talks.
Nine of the 15 council members already recognize the Palestinian state, but diplomats say the Palestinians will struggle to get nine votes.
Only China, Russia, Lebanon, India, South Africa and Brazil have declared themselves certain to vote for the Palestinian bid.
"This is an exercise in which there will be tremendous pressure on members of the Security Council, but we trust in our friends," Mansour said.
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