The EU wants the United States to reconsider its decision to deny visas to Palestinian officials seeking to attend next month's UN General Assembly, the bloc's top diplomat said yesterday. "In the light of the existing agreements
AFP | Copenhagen
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The EU wants the United States to reconsider its decision to deny visas to Palestinian officials seeking to attend next month’s UN General Assembly, the bloc’s top diplomat said yesterday.
“In the light of the existing agreements between the UN and its host state, we all urge for this decision to be reconsidered,” Kaja Kallas said on Saturday following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen.
Kallas invoked “international law” in calling for Washington to reverse the extraordinary step, which further aligns US President Donald Trump’s administration with Israel’s government as it wages war in Gaza.
The US move comes as France is leading a push to recognise the Palestinian state at the gathering of world leaders in New York -- and France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke out in protest ahead of the Denmark talks.
“A UN General Assembly meeting... should not be subject to any restrictions on access,” Barrot told reporters.
A string of ministers in Copenhagen echoed France’s call for the United States to allow access to the Palestinian delegation.
The Palestinian Authority has likewise called for the United States to reverse its decision, which it said “stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement”. Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, a veteran 89-year-old leader who once had cordial relations with Washington, had planned to attend the UN meeting. Under an agreement as host of the United Nations in New York, the United States is not supposed to refuse visas for officials heading to the world body.
