UNSC plans to discuss Palestinian statehood bid in July

Open debate on ME set for end of the month; German envoy says "that may be an occasion to explore various options on the Palestinian side."

By REUTERS
UN security Council 521 (photo credit: Reuters)
UN security Council 521
(photo credit: Reuters)
UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council plans to discuss in July the possibility of Palestine becoming a United Nations member state, the Security Council president said on Tuesday.
The Arab League has said it would request UN membership for a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with east Jerusalem as its capital at the UN General Assembly in September.
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An open debate on the Middle East has been scheduled for July 26 according to a provisional calendar for the Security Council for July.
"I think (that) will be an occasion to explore the various options that might exist on the Palestinian side," said German Ambassador Peter Wittig, UN Security Council president, in response to a question about when the issue would be debated. Germany holds the Security Council presidency in July.
Wittig pointed to an upcoming Quartet meeting as a possible indicator on the situation.
The Quartet is expected to meet on July 11. The meeting, expected to take place in Washington, will come amid a US push to revive peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Separately, a spokesman for UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he could not give a firm date as to when the much-delayed findings from a panel set up to investigate the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident would be released.
"I don't think we are yet at the point where the report would be handed over - when that happens obviously we'll let you know," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Last August, Ban appointed a panel headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer to investigate last year's Israeli attack on an aid convoy bound for Gaza.