UN confirms receiving documents on Palestine's access to 16 int'l conventions, treaties

The United Nations on Friday confirmed receiving copies of documents on Palestine's access to 16 international conventions, treaties, saying that "the documents are being reviewed with a view to determining the appropriate next steps."

The UN confirmation came after the Palestinian submission of these documents.

"The Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations in New York has transmitted to the (UN) Secretariat copies of documents relating to the accession of Palestine to 16 international conventions and treaties in respect of which the secretary-general performs depositary functions," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a response to a press question.

"These include the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court," the spokesman said. "The original versions of these documents were delivered on 1 January 2015 to the deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and personal representative of the secretary-general to the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) and the PA (Palestinian Authority)."

"The documents are being reviewed with a view to determining the appropriate next steps," the spokesman added.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday signed on joining 20 treaties and agencies, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) after UN Security Council rejected a draft resolution to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Abbas said after he signed on joining the treaties and agencies as he chaired a meeting for the executive committee of the PLO in Ramallah.

"What we have signed on is our right that aims at establishing a Palestinian state on the borders of the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 with east Jerusalem as its capital in accordance to the international law and resolutions," said Abbas.

Abbas felt regret that the Palestinians failed to gain the minimum nine votes of the Security Council, adding "We were expecting to gain the nine votes but one state withdrew in the last moment. Here we reiterate that the conflict in this region can only be resolved by ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

A Security Council draft resolution that set a deadline to establish a sovereign Palestinian state was defeated on Tuesday afternoon after it failed to receive the nine votes for adoption in the 15-nation UN body.

The draft resolution, which was introduced by Jordan on behalf of the Palestinians, set a one-year deadline for negotiations with Israel: established targets for Palestinian sovereignty, including a capital in East Jerusalem; and called for the "full and phased withdrawal of Israeli forces" from the West Bank by the end of 2017.

The UN treaties and conventions, as well as the four Geneva Conventions and The Hague Convention (IV) respecting the Laws and Customs of War (accession letters were submitted to the Swiss and Dutch representatives to the Palestinian Authority) can be found here.

At a press conference in New York, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said on Friday that, at the request of his government, he had delivered copies of the 15 letters to the secretary-general's Chef de Cabinet, Susana Malcorra. The Palestinian Authority expected the documents would be subsequently transmitted to the UN Office for Legal Affairs (OLA).

"Palestine is exercising its legal right as a State to join those instruments and live up to its international responsibility, " said Mansour, recalling the November 2012 General Assembly vote according Palestine the status of non-member observer State at the UN.

"We are proud of this and consider it a step by our president to consolidate and strengthen the pillars of the State of Palestine in the international system," he added, referring to the applications.

Mansour went on to thank those assisting the Israeli- Palestinian political process, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The Palestinian side, he said, will continue to participate in the process towards ending the occupations and realizing the aims of the two-state solution.

"We are ready to negotiate in good faith with Israel to put an end to this indignity," he added.

Responding to questions regarding the impact of this decision on the peace process, particularly regarding the confidence- building measures agreed by both sides, Mansour said, "We do not believe what we have done violates anything."

According to media reports, under the terms paving the way for the current round of talks between the two sides, Israel was to release some 100 Palestinian prisoners in four phases, and the Palestinians were to refrain from taking action in the international arena.

Mansour said that the Palestinian leadership had been ready and willing to keep this latest exercise on hold as long as Israel had lived up to its pledge to release the next group of Palestinian prisoners.

"But Israel did not honor its part of the agreement and when that happened, we were free to do whatever we feel we need to do," Mansour said. "In any case, it was our right after the adoption of the (General) Assembly resolution."

As to whether the submission of letters to join the international treaties could be considered a "provocation," the Palestinian envoy said that it was Israel that had violated the agreement with regards to prisoner releases.

"We are not looking for a confrontation with anyone," he said. "We are exercising our right and we will not be apologetic about that. We are only responsible to the Palestinian people."

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