At
UN
on Palestine,
France Says It
Will Abstain,
Bosnia "Can't
Speak,"
Sources Say
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 3 --
As Security
Council member
stated their
positions on
Palestine UN
membership
behind closed
doors on
Thursday
afternoon,
Inner City
Press learned
from a
supporter of
Palestine
that inside
the meeting,
France said it
would abstain.
The
key, the
source said,
would be
Bosnia and
Colombia,
adding that
despite rumors
to the
contrary,
Nigeria and
Gabon "have to
support
Palestine,"
given their
membership in
regional
groups.
Colombia seems
unlikely
to support
Palestinian
membership.
Bosnia,
one well
placed
European Union
source said,
is "unable" to
state its
position on
Palestine,
given the
tripartite
nature of its
government
and the role
of the
Repulika
Srpska.
Thus,
the source
said, there
are not nine
votes for
Palestine at
this time.
Others
said that
Guatemala's
vote for
Palestine at
UNESCO does
not portend
support for
membership
when Guatemala
joins the
Council in
January.
France voted
yes at UNESCO,
and Thursday
said it would
abstain in the
Security
Council.
Sarkozy &
Abbas, yes in
Paris,
abstention in
NY
Other
peculiarities
about the
UNESCO vote
include
Sweden, where
the foreign
ministry did
not control
the vote in
Paris, but
would in the
General
Assembly.
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