Gabriel Helou

“The United States said on Monday it had stopped funding UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, following its vote to grant the Palestinians full membership. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters the United States had no choice but to halt funding because of longstanding U.S. law, saying Washington would not make a planned $60 million transfer that was due in November.”

“For its membership to take effect, Palestine must sign and ratify UNESCO’s Constitution which is open for signature in the archives of the Government of the United Kingdom in London. Palestine’s entry will bring the number of UNESCO’s Member States to 195. The vote was carried by 107 votes in favour of admission and 14 votes against, with 52 abstentions. Admission to UNESCO for states that are not members of the United Nations requires a recommendation by the Organization’s Executive Board and a two thirds majority vote in favour by the General Conference of Member States present and voting (abstentions are not considered as votes). The General Conference consists of the representatives of the States Members of the Organization. It meets every two years, and is attended by Member States and Associate Members, together with observers for non-Member States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Each Member State has one vote, irrespective of its si...

“ Palestine became a full member of the U.N. cultural and educational agency Monday, in a highly divisive move that the United States and other opponents say could harm renewed Mideast peace efforts. U.S. lawmakers had threatened to withhold roughly $80 million in annual funding to UNESCO if it approved Palestinian membership. The United States provides about 22 percent of UNESCO's funding. Huge cheers went up in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after delegates approved the membership in a vote of 107-14 with 52 abstentions. Eighty-one votes were needed for approval in a hall with 173 UNESCO member delegations present. "Long Live Palestine!" shouted one delegate, in French, at the unusually tense and dramatic meeting of UNESCO's General Conference.”

“The United Nations’ cultural agency decided on Monday to give the Palestinians full membership of the body, a vote that will boost their bid for recognition as a state at the United Nations. UNESCO is the first U.N. agency the Palestinians have sought to join as a full member since President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership of the United Nations on September 23. The United States, Canada and Germany voted against Palestinian membership. Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and France voted in favour. Britain abstained.”

"The Palestinian Authority has filed a complaint with the United Nations Security Council over the 'incitement' by Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The complaint cites an article published by Haaretz on Monday, in which Lieberman was quoted as saying that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is the "greatest obstacle" to regional order, and that it would be a "blessing" if the Palestinian leader were to resign. "If there is one obstacle that should be removed immediately, it is [Abbas]," he said. "If he were to return the keys and resign, it would not be a threat, but a blessing." The letter submitted on Tuesday to the Security Council states that "we unequivocally reject and object to such incitement, which we consider to be a clear threat against the life of President Mahmoud Abbas, whose commitment to peace is absolutely unquestionable.""

“The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to lift the no-fly zone over Libya on Oct. 31 and end its authorization of military action to protect civilians. The council adopted the resolution to end military action on Thursday, a day after Libya's deputy U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi asked to council to wait until the transitional government made an official request. The council authorized the actions on March 17 in response to an Arab League request to try to halt Muammar Qaddafi's military, which was advancing against rebels and their civilian supporters. The NATO bombing campaign that followed was critical in helping the rebels oust Qaddafi from power in August.”

THE UN Security Council unanimously voted today to end the mandate for international military action in Libya. “The 15-member council ordered an end to authorization for a no-fly zone and action to protect civilians from 11:59pm Libyan time on Oct. 31. The mandate was approved in March after ousted Libyan leader Moamar Ghadafi launched a deadly assault on opposition protests. NATO, which carried out the airstrikes that played a key role in the downfall of Ghadafi, said it was studying new ways to help the Transitional National Council (TNC), which had asked for an extension to the mandate. The alliance's decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, is due to meet today in Brussels to formally declare an end to its seven-month-old air war. Security Council Resolution 2016 also eased an international arms embargo so that the TNC can acquire weapons and equipment for its national security. It ended an assets freeze on the Libyan National Oil Corporation and virtually all restric...