Canada recalls diplomats from Israel, West Bank and UN over Palestinian vote.(TS).OTTAWA—Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is temporarily recalling senior diplomats from Israel, the West Bank and the UN missions in New York and Geneva.
He says he wants to get their views on the implications of the UN General Assembly vote which recognized the Palestinians as a non-member observer state at the world body. “Canada is deeply disappointed but not surprised by yesterday’s result at the United Nations General Assembly,” he said in a statement Friday.
“Our government’s position is clear: the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace is through negotiations, not unilateral actions.” “To that end, Canada is bringing its heads of missions in Israel and Ramallah and its permanent representatives to the UN in New York and Geneva back to Ottawa temporarily to assess the implications of yesterday’s UN General Assembly vote and inform Canada’s response to it.”
In a televised interview with the CBC, Baird said he wants to talk to the diplomats who are closest to the situation. “I want to get a sense of where we go from here,” he said. The minister said in his statement that Canada will review its whole relationship with the Palestinian Authority. The General Assembly decision is an “impediment to peace,” Baird said.
He added that his government’s biggest concern is that the Palestinian Authority will now seek membership in a variety of UN organizations, including the International Criminal Court. “I think that causes Canada big concerns. So we’ll have to review our options on how we go forward and how we deal with the Palestinian Authority,” Baird said. The Harper government has repeatedly said while it supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a Palestinian statehood should be a “by-product” of peace negotiations -- not imposed by the United Nations.Hmmm.......Don't see Barack HUSSEIN Obama doing this anytime soon. Read the full story here.
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