Palestinians take step towards full UNESCO membership
By REUTERS
PARIS - Palestinians moved a step closer to full membership in the UN cultural agency on Wednesday after its board decided to let 193 member states vote on the issue later this month, the latest stage in a Palestinian campaign for statehood recognition.In September Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas formally applied to the UN Security Council for full membership in the United Nations, ignoring a US threat to veto the measure, as well as threats from members of the US Congress to restrict American aid to the Palestinians.Forty representatives of the 58-member board voted in favor of a draft resolution, with four voting against and 14 abstaining, a source at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization told Reuters.It will now be submitted for a vote at UNESCO's General Conference, which runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 10 and involves all 193 members of the Paris-based organization.
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