Arabs weigh alternatives to Palestinian UN bid 

(MENAFN - Gulf Times) Arab foreign ministers said yesterday they would look into alternative action if their efforts failed to secure full Palestinian membership of the United Nations.

"We support the Palestinian demand for full UN membership," they said in a statement after a meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Arab Initiative for Peace in Doha.

The Arab League agreed to form a "committee of experts to study legal and political alternatives".

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who attended yesterday's meeting, officially submitted the request for Palestinian membership in September, a move which the US has threatened to veto if it comes to a vote in the UN Security Council.

The Security Council is expected to meet on November 11 to decide on whether to hold a formal vote on the membership application.
The controversy at the United Nations also extends to Unesco's general assembly, where members are expected to vote today on whether to grant Palestine full membership status.

The vote in favour of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation would threaten the organisation's millions of dollars in US funding.

The Arab League's statement yesterday expressed "support for the Palestinian campaign for full membership in Unesco".

Though the US has veto power in the Security Council, it cannot veto a decision at Unesco, where a two-thirds majority of its 193 voting members is sufficient for the Palestinian membership bid to pass.

The same applies to the UN General Assembly, where Palestinian officials have said they would take their campaign for statehood if the Security Council bid is vetoed.

The Ministerial Committee of the Arab Initiative for Peace meeting was chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani.