US working to prevent int’l recognition of Palestine, Abbas says

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said the United States has relentlessly worked to prevent international recognition of Palestine’s rights.

In an interview with Russia’s TASS news agency following a meeting with Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, Abbas said “the United States obstructs, in every way and by all means, the decisions aimed at achieving international recognition for Palestine, and in the process it ignores and bypasses even the already adopted [UN] resolutions.”

He stressed that Palestine will not agree under any circumstances to excluding Russia from the Middle East settlement process, adding that Moscow “has always sought and is seeking to find ways to reach a peaceful solution and is striving for a just solution to the Middle East issue in accordance with international law.”

He added that the US has always wanted to exclude Russia from this process. Moscow, he explained, insists on the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

“This is Russia’s unchanging position in the United Nations, the Security Council and the General Assembly, and its position on this issue is firm and completely clear.”

In spite of the numerous UN resolutions regarding the Palestinian issue, none have been implemented, he explained, adding: “When I addressed the Security Council, I said: You are the highest authority in the world. But if you do not implement your resolutions, where can I turn to?”

READ: UN failed in its mission to establish Palestinian State: Abbas