EUobserver / Palestine: EU bid to avoid UN vote on independence has failed

Palestinian leaders have declared that an EU-led attempt to revive Arab-Israeli peace talks has failed, leading them to go full-speed ahead for UN recognition instead. http://euobserver.com/9/32622/?rk=1

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas made the statement in Ramallah on Tuesday (11 July) following a meeting with his Greek counterpart, President Karolos Papoulias.

"We will go to the United Nations and we hope the United States will not use its veto, but that we will go with its agreement ... The fact that there is no statement from the Quartet is a negative indication that there is deep division between them," he said.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, told Israeli daily Haaretz in an interview that he will submit the UN bid in "the coming weeks."

"The Americans just could not deliver the Israelis," he said on the Washington meeting, referring to the fact that Israel has rejected the idea of 1967 lines.

The Palestinians are confident that between 130 and 150 UN member states will acknowledge their bid, including a number of EU countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

See more at http://euobserver.com/9/32622/?rk=1