EU ministers urge US to reconsider visa ban on Palestinian officials

Oslo, Aug 31 (IANS) European Union (EU) foreign ministers met in Copenhagen, where they unanimously urged the United States to reconsider its recent decision to deny entry visas to Palestinian officials.

The US Department of State said Friday in a statement that it is "denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly."

The meeting also discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but the participants were deeply divided over whether to impose further sanctions against Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press conference that while member states broadly agree on the gravity of the situation, consensus has not been reached on concrete measures.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who chaired the meeting, said an increasing number of member states believe Israel is unlikely to change course without stronger pressure.

Outside the meeting venue, demonstrators gathered, urging Denmark and the EU to take stronger action over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Ministerial Committee formed by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Gaza on Saturday, also urged the US administration to "reconsider and reverse" its decision not to grant visas to the Palestinian delegation for the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA).

In a statement issued after its meeting in Amman, the committee voiced its "deep regret" at Washington's decision, and stressed that the move contradicts obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement, which guarantees the rights of Palestine, a UN permanent observer state, to participate in UN activities, according to a post published by Jordan's Foreign Ministry on Facebook.

The decision also undermines opportunities for dialogue and diplomacy, according to the post.

The committee warned that "weakening the Palestinian Authority (PA) will undermine peace efforts in the face of escalation, the spread of violence and continuation of the conflict," according to the post.

--IANS

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