UN committee fails to reach consensus on Palestine's membership bid

By Serife Cetin

The UN Security Council's Committee on the Admission of New Members was unable to reach a consensus on whether to admit Palestine as a full member of the UN, the permanent mission of Malta to the UN told Anadolu on Thursday.

"There was no consensus on a recommendation for membership," said Malta's mission, which currently holds the UN Security Council presidency for the month of April.

The statement further noted that Malta would prepare a report on the issue and distribute it to the Council members.

Vanessa Frazier, Malta's Permanent Representative to the UN, stated in her remarks to journalists that there was no problem regarding the conditions for membership, indicating that two-thirds of the Committee supported the membership.

In 2011, Palestine submitted a bid to become a full UN member but failed to secure the required support from Security Council members.

However, Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour announced on April 2 that he had sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting that their membership application be reconsidered.

On April 3, Guterres wrote a letter to the UN Security Council calling for the consideration of Palestine's request.

The process of admitting new UN members has begun in the Security Council. Following discussions, the council is expected to refer the matter to the Committee on the Admission of New Members.

If the committee responds positively, the UN Security Council must vote, with none of its permanent members exercising their veto power and at least nine out of 15 members voting in favor of a positive outcome.

If the council approves, the matter is referred to the UN General Assembly. Membership approval in the 193-member UN General Assembly requires a two-thirds majority vote.

Since 1974, Palestine has been participating at the UN as an observer.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan