TEHRAN, February 20 -Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will urge world powers at the UN Security Council on Tuesday to stand up to the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and establish a revamped peace process.
TEHRAN,Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem infuriated the Palestinians who declared that the United States could no longer play a role as lead mediator in the Middle East peace process.
The stage will be set for a tense face-off with US Ambassador Nikki Haley, just weeks after she launched a scathing attack on Abbas and accused him of lacking the courage needed for peace.
Abbas "will say that after the 6th of December with regard to Jerusalem, that now is the time for a collective approach," said Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour.
This could lead to a stepped up role for the other four permanent council members - Britain, France, China and Russia - or an expanded diplomatic quartet with Arab countries and others.
The Middle East quartet currently is made up of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.
Mansour said the Security Council - as the highest authority on matters of international peace and security - should come up with a new multilateral initiative and said the United States would not be sidelined.
In this new approach, the United States "will not have the only control. They will be part of the collective process for sure," said Mansour.
"The bottom line is we want a new active process," he said.
Israel, which often accuses the European Union and the United Nations of bias against it, would be reluctant to accept any other mediator than the United States.
Source: AFP
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