UNESCO mulls Palestinian membership bid

PARIS (Reuters) — The United Nations' cultural agency has begun to review a draft resolution from the Palestinian delegation for full membership of the body, a UNESCO source said on Wednesday, the latest move by the Palestinians to seek statehood recognition.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in September submitted a formal application to the U.N. Security Council for membership in the United Nations, ignoring a U.S. threat to veto the measure if it is put to vote as well as threats from U.S. members of Congress to restrict U.S. aid to the Palestinians.
In an effort to ramp up the pressure on the United Nations, the Palestinians have also been looking at alternative institutions that may recognize its statehood.
On Tuesday, it won partnership status from the Council of Europe, the continent's main human rights body.
"At present the resolution being discussed concerns submitting membership of Palestine to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's General Conference which will then be the organ that decides whether Palestine is admitted or not, the source said.
The 58-member board reviews the draft resolution and then decides whether to pass it on for voting at the body's General Conference, which runs from October 25 to November 10 and involves the full 193 members of Paris-based UNESCO.
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