Abbas Hails UNESCO Vote as Victory amid U.S. Disapproval

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hailed UNESCO's acceptance of Palestine as a full member on Monday as "a victory" for his people's rights, at the White House condemned the step describing it as "premature."

"Accepting Palestine into UNESCO is a victory for (our) rights, for justice and for freedom," his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina quoted him as saying in a phone call from Amman.

Monday's vote saw the U.N. cultural organization’s 193 member states backing the membership resolution by 107 in favor to 14 against.

The successful bid for UNESCO membership was a significant step toward Palestinian statehood, said Abu Rudeina.

"We believe that the whole world stood with the Palestinian people today, and that it was a vote in favor of establishing the State of Palestine as soon as possible," he said.

Abbas submitted a formal request for U.N. membership on September 23, and the Security Council is to meet on November 11 to debate the issue and possibly vote on it.

"Palestine will comply with all international codes, and will be a qualitative addition to UNESCO," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told Agence France Presse. "It will be able to preserve the Palestinian cultural heritage."

Meanwhile, the White House said the resolution was "premature" and undermined international peace efforts and hopes of direct talks on a Palestinian state.

The United States, which has vowed to block a separate Palestinian call for statehood recognition at the United Nations, believes the campaign detracts from tough bargaining needed with Israel on the terms of a Palestinian state.

"Today's vote at UNESCO to admit the Palestinian Authority is premature and undermines the international community's shared goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

"Today's vote distracts us from our shared goal of direct negotiations that result in a secure Israel and an independent Palestine living side by side in peace and security," Carney said.

"The path to peace is through direct negotiations. We support measures and steps that bring the two sides closer to direct negotiations."

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been frozen since last year over a row over Israeli settlement building on land that the Palestinians claim as part of their future state.

The United States in the 1990s banned the financing of any United Nations organization that accepts Palestine as a full member, meaning the body would lose $70 million, or 22 percent of its annual budget.

U.S. ambassador to UNESCO David Killion said after the vote that "this action today will complicate our ability to support UNESCO programs."

The United States boycotted UNESCO from 1984 to 2003 over what the State Department called "growing disparity between U.S. foreign policy and UNESCO goals."

Despite the 20-year U.S. boycott, President Barack Obama now considers UNESCO a strategic interest and Washington sees it as a useful multilateral way to spread certain Western values.

The Europeans had tried to convince the Palestinians to be satisfied for now with joining three UNESCO conventions, including on World Heritage, which is possible for a non-member state.