Vatican to Palestinians: Remove us from your Draft Resolution to UN General Assembly

Friday, August 28, 2015 

Palestine

Related articles

• 28 August 2015: Vatican to Palestinians: Remove us from your Draft Resolution to UN General Assembly
• 1 July 2015: Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan stops hunger strike, due to be released
• 29 May 2015: Tony Blair resigns as envoy of Quartet to Middle East
• 22 May 2015: FIFA president 'on a mission of peace'
• 29 April 2015: UN publishes report on 2014 Gaza conflict

Location of Palestine

Collaborate!

• Pillars of Wikinews writing
• Writing an article

On Tuesday The Vatican asked the Palestinian National Authority (PA) to remove references to the Vatican in a PA proposal that observer sates' flags be raised at the United Nations alongside full members. Both Palestine and the Vatican are non-member observers.

Some of the flags, including Israel's, at the UN's New York headquarters.
Image: Damzow.

The draft Palestinian resolution, intended for presentation to the UN General Assembly, refers to the Vatican but reports suggest no approval was sought beforehand. The Vatican stated it would not object to the Palestinian proposal, but asks not to be included in it.

A message from the Vatican delegation to several members of the UN, quoted by Reuters, says "The Holy See does not intend to co-sponsor a draft resolution that the State of Palestine may eventually present on the matter". The note further reads that "The Holy See asks the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations kindly to remove in its draft resolution any reference to the 'Holy See' and any generic reference 'on behalf of the Observer States'".

Press reports suggest the PA included the Vatican in its draft resolution in order to prevent objections by Israel and the US. Pope Francis's first visit to the US begins next month. During his tour he intends to speak before the UN General Assembly in New York, attended by high ranking envoys from 193 states. During the Assembly, world leaders are expected to launch an initiative to end world hunger and poverty within the next 15 years.

In May, the Vatican acknowledged the Palestinian state, in a move the Israeli foreign ministry described as "disappointing." According to the PA, the Vatican is one of 136 states who recognize Palestine as a state. Israel and the US do not.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources[edit]

• "Vatican won’t join Palestinians on United Nations flag-raising request" — iFreePress, August 27, 2015
• Cara Anna. "Palestinians, Vatican could raise UN flags before pope visit" — Associated Press, August 25, 2015
• Louis Charbonneau. "Vatican says won't co-sponsor Palestinian flag initiative at U.N." — Reuters, August 25, 2015
  

Share this:

from English Wikinews Atom feed. https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Vatican_to_Palestinians:_Remove_us_from_your_Draft_Resolution_to_UN_General_Assembly