AFP
Australia has been reportedly holding intense talks with its allies, including Germany, on whether Palestine should be admitted as a full member of the UN.
The issue of backing statehood for Palestine came up during a meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and her German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, in Adelaide on Friday, The Guardian reported.
Australian and South Korean ministers also met in Melbourne on Wednesday to discuss “how the international community can help build momentum towards a lasting peace” and how Seoul’s vote “reflected this aspiration.”
A Palestinian-backed draft resolution is due for vote in the United Nations general assembly on May 10.
Last month, the US had vetoed the Palestinian request to the United Nations security council for full membership. Currently, Palestine has a “Permanent Observer State” without voting rights, which was granted by the UN general assembly in 2012. An application to become a full member with voting rights would have to be approved by the security council and two-thirds of the general assembly. Some members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are backing the new resolution.
The UN general assembly is expected to recommend that the security council “reconsider the matter favorably.”
The draft resolution expressed “deep regret and concern” that “one negative vote” by the US led to the abandonment of the proposal, which was backed by 12 others in the 15-member security council. The UK and Switzerland had abstained from voting.
Earlier too, Wong has supported the two-way nation solution. Last month, addressing the national security conference at the Australian National University, Wong backed the need to recognize Palestinian statehood, saying international recognition could help “build momentum towards a two-state solution” with Israel, as reported by ABC News.
