UN General Assembly to vote on granting Palestine increased status

New York, May 10 (IANS/DPA) The UN General Assembly is scheduled to vote on Friday on granting Palestinians greater representation and participation rights in the UN's largest body.

The draft resolution grants Palestine significantly extended rights to participate in the sessions of the General Assembly but does not give it regular voting rights.

Adoption of the resolution would also likely increase pressure to grant Palestine full membership.

The UN General Assembly recognised Palestine as an observer state in 2012 despite resistance from the United States. Palestine and the Vatican are the only two non-member states with observer status in the body.

The resolution, which was introduced by the United Arab Emirates but drafted by the Palestinians, has been the source of disagreements at the UN headquarters in New York for weeks.

The text states that the General Assembly has determined that the "State of Palestine (...) should be admitted to membership of the United Nations." It also recommends that the UN Security Council, which holds decisive power over UN membership, "reconsider the matter favourably."

Dpa has obtained the text of the draft resolution, although the provisions and language of the resolution could still change as negotiations continue.

The move by the 193-member UN General Assembly in New York, which comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, is also a reflection of international opinion on the Middle East conflict.

UN diplomats believe that the resolution will easily achieve the necessary two-thirds majority of all votes cast in the General Assembly.

The influential United States and China, as well as Russia fear a loss of control in upgrading the regions whose statehood is disputed. All three countries hold veto powers at the Security Council.