UK upgrades Palestinian delegation while PM Cameron meets with Abbas

UK upgrades Palestinian delegation while PM Cameron meets with Abbas

2011-03-09 08:16:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at Number 10 in London. It comes on the day that the UK government announced it will upgrade the Palestinian delegation to London.

Cameron said the two leaders had "a lot to discuss" but that most important of all it was his "strong belief" that this was a moment "not to push back on the talks between Israel and Palestine, but to actually make more progress, to push forward."

"This is a moment when we should be trying to seize the opportunity and recognize that the peace process lies at the heart of so many of the issues in your region and we very strongly support those talks going ahead," the Prime Minister said. "We also supported the recent UN Security Council resolution on the Middle East Peace Process and were proud to do that."

Abbas also met with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, who said they had important discussions about the peace process, its bilateral relations and the situation in the region.

"It is a moment of unprecedented change, as we know, in the Middle East, one which combines the immense potential for greater democracy and human development with the risk of instability and violence," Hague said at a joint press conference. "It calls for extraordinary efforts by the international community; for radically different thinking about the region; and for bold leadership from governments within it."

Also on Tuesday, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office announced that it has upgraded the Palestinian Delegation to London to the level of a Mission. It said the upgrade is an acknowledgment of the improvements made by the Palestinian Authority in its state building agenda and their progress against their roadmap commitment.

"Under President Abbas' leadership, Prime Minister Fayyad and the Palestinian Authority have made significant progress in building the foundations of a viable Palestinian state in line with their road map commitments. In light of this, and given the extent of our aid to the Palestinian Authority and our work with them, I will today confirm that we will join many other countries in upgrading the status of the Palestinian Delegation to London to the level of a Mission," Hague said in a statement.

He added: "The UK continues to support the creation of a sovereign, independent and contiguous Palestinian State alongside a safe and secure Israel at peace with its neighbors. But we also continue to believe that the best way to achieve a lasting solution that delivers this is through a negotiated solution. We want to see an urgent return to negotiations, based on clear parameters including 1967 borders. We will work with all the parties to press for a decisive breakthrough in 2011."

The administrative upgrade of the Palestinian Delegation provides for certain privileges without a change in the law including. These include simplified visa arrangements for members of the mission, including facilitated arrival and entry to the UK and other administrative benefits.

In addition, the Palestinian General Delegation Office (PGDO) will be renamed to the Palestinian Mission while the Head of the Delegation will now be known as the Head of Mission. Mission officials will also be provided with personal car parking bays.

However, most importantly, the decision does not confer formal diplomatic status to the mission, nor the associated privileges and immunities of diplomatic status.

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