Palestinian envoys failed to persuade Washington to support the Palestinian plan to seek recognition from the United Nations in September, a Palestinian official said Thursday, DPA reported.
The U.S. administration told the envoys, Saeb Erekat and Nabil Abu Rdineh, it rejects that the Palestinians go unilaterally to the UN to seek recognition of their state. "There were big differences on this issue," Erekat told the Voice of Palestine Radio, speaking from Washington.
Erekat held talks with U.S. officials, including David Hale, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East. Erekat said he told Hale that " America has no right to veto the Palestinian request at the UN or to impose sanctions on the Palestinians."
As long as the United States supports a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it has to support the Palestinian efforts to gain recognition, Erekat said.
The Palestinians decided to move to the UN after U.S.-brokered peace talks broke down last year. The Palestinians walked out from the negotiations in protest of Israel's decision to resume construction in West Bank Jewish settlements.