The step taken by the United States to stop funding UNESCO showed their lack of seriousness in finding solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, a Middle East observer, Bantarto Bandoro, said in an interview with Antara, here, Wednesday.
The United State had to stop funding the UNESCO following its vote to grant the Palestine full membership at the UNESCO. In fact, the US earlier stressed their readiness to help in creating peace in middle east especially the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Practically, the world would see that whatever the US would take in finding the solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict tended to stand in the interest of Israel, he told Antara.
Considering the UNESCO recognition of Palestinian membership within that agency, the United States created an overactive reaction following its never-ending effort to block the Palestinian struggle for a full membership at the UN.
"The US will always corner whatever agency within the United Nations perceived to have a tendency to support Palestine. The stop in fund is exactly the US retaliation to the UNESCO which has recognized the Palestinian membership in that agency," he noted.
The United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to give Palestinians a full membership, a vote that will boost their bid for recognition as a state at the United Nations.
UNESCO is the first UN agency which has recognized full membership of Palestine following President Mahmoud Abbas` application for its membership at the United Nations on Sept 23 this year.
Earlier, a US spokesman, Victoria Nuland, told reporters that the US had no choice on this case except halting the fund to UNESCO on account of the US law passed in the 1990s.
The law concerned stressed that the US would provide a fund to a country which had not yet been internationally recognized. Practically, Washington was not in a position to transfer around USD60 million to UNESCO in November this year
She also regretted that the recognition of Palestine`s membership within UNESCO, as the step taken by this agency was too premature and took no notice of our shared goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
US assistance to UNESCO accounts for 22 percent of the total fund needed by that agency for their operation around the world.(*)
SDP-06/E002
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
