UN urges US not to block Palestinian access to General Assembly session

The United Nations (UN) has said it has not received any notification from the United States regarding reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could again be prevented from attending this year’s UN General Assembly.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday that visa applications for heads of state and senior officials of UN member states are not handled by the UN Secretariat, but by the US as host of the UN Headquarters.

“We have still not received any official notification from the US,” Dujarric said, adding that the UN was aware of the reports.

Several local media outlets reported that President Donald Trump’s administration plans to ban Mahmoud Abbas from visiting New York for the UN General Assembly for a second consecutive year.

The UN’s response to the matter is that the US must fulfil its obligations under the host country agreement to facilitate the entry of diplomats and government officials travelling to New York to take part in UN business, Dujarric said.

“We have seen a number of cases in the past where visas were denied by the host country. Our call and our hope has always been that the host country will fulfil its obligations under the host country agreement. That means facilitating visits to New York City, to the United States, for interested parties, diplomats and government officials who will take part in United Nations business,” Dujarric said.

Asked whether US restrictions would affect the independence of the UN, Dujarric said the issue had arisen before, including in disputes involving the Russian delegation.

“These matters have been raised directly by the UN Secretariat with the host country and we will continue to remind them,” the UN spokesman said.