UN chief 'deeply regrets' US visa refusal to Abbas for annual meeting
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "deeply regrets" Washington's decision to deny a visa for the second year running to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, a UN spokesman said Friday, preventing him for attending the UN General Assembly. The US State Department said Thursday it was refusing to grant visas to Abbas and other Palestinian officials for next week's assembly. Only members of the…
United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres expressed deep regret on Friday over the US decision to deny a visa to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for the second consecutive year. This exclusion prevents Abbas from attending the UN General Assembly, scheduled to commence the following week. The US State Department announced on Thursday that visas would not be granted to Abbas and other Palestinian officials for the assembly.
According to the department, only members of the Palestinian mission to the UN are permitted to participate in the meeting, which kicks off on Tuesday. Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, conveyed the UN leader's concerns in a statement. Dujarric emphasized that "the Secretary-General is concerned about the impact of this decision on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the work of the United Nations."
He stressed that "the full participation of all delegations in the work of the Organization is essential to its proper functioning."
Written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- UN chief 'deeply regrets' US visa refused to Abbas for annual meeting middleeasteye.net
- UN chief 'deeply regrets' US visa refusal to Abbas for annual meeting hindustantimes.com
