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France Offers Palestinian Statehood Compromise at UN

September 21, 2011

David Gollust | United Nations

France offered a compromise Wednesday at the United Nations aimed at heading off a confrontation over plans by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to seek U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood. The French plan would give the Palestinians enhanced observer status at the U.N. while peace negotiations with Israel would resume with firm timelines for a settlement.

Abbas has not been specific about the terms of the statehood application letter he will hand to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday. And U.S. and European diplomacy is focusing on renewing direct peace talks, and avoiding a Palestine statehood vote in the U.N. Security Council that the United States vowed to veto.

Listen to US President Barack Obama's remarks on Israel-Palestinians:

In a General Assembly policy speech Wednesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy outlined a compromise under which the Palestinians would get elevated observer status in the U.N. General Assembly, while direct peace talks with Israel are reconvened under a firm timetable for a peace deal.

He said, “Let us begin negotiations and adopt a precise and ambitious timetable. Sixty years without moving one centimeter forward. Doesn’t that suggest we should change the method and scheduling here? Let’s have one month to resume discussions. Six months to find an agreement on borders and security. One year to reach a definitive agreement.”

The French leader proposed a donors conference in the next few months to help the Palestinians complete the infrastructure of their future state.

At the same time, Sarkozy lamented decades of what he termed “terrorist outrages” against Israel, and said France is prepared to help guarantee Israel’s security after a peace accord.

“If anyone throughout the world were to threaten the existence of Israel, France would immediately and whole-heartedly stand alongside Israel. Threats made against a member state of the United Nations are unacceptable and they will not be accepted.”

Earlier, President Barack Obama, in his General Assembly message, again stressed the U.S. view that a Palestinian statehood move in the United Nations - over Israel’s objections and in the absence of direct talks - will not resolve the conflict.

Obama spoke in advance of separate bilateral meetings Wednesday with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I am convinced that there is no short-cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now,” he said.

A move to upgrade the Palestinian’s observer status at the United Nations would win easy approval in the General Assembly.

Seeking early endorsement of full statehood in the Security Council might not attract the necessary nine votes in the 15-member body.

The United States has said it would block statehood, but hopes it will not be put into a position to have to cast a Security Council veto, which would undermine the U.S. standing in the Arab world.