ISTANBUL

Indonesian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir on Monday urged against using a veto to prevent full Palestinian membership in the UN.

“We…must ensure the momentum in realizing the two-state solution is maintained after the conference, including not to veto the full membership of the State of Palestine to the UN,” Nasir said.

Five permanent members of the UN Security Council possess the authority to veto: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.

Speaking at a high-level conference on a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at the UN headquarters in New York, Nasir stressed the significance of establishing “credible and equal security guarantees for both parties through the cessation of violence and recognition of equal rights to safety.”

The two-day conference, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, convened at the UN General Assembly and focuses on reviving peace talks and advancing the implementation of a two-state solution.

“We need to empower the Palestinian Authority to independently manage security and fully assume responsibility in both Gaza and the West Bank, with the view of promoting the unification of all Palestinian authority under a single legitimate and Democratic national government,” Nasir said.

Expressing his thanks to France for its “courageous decision to recognize the state of Palestine,” Nasir said that “when persuasion fails…only concrete action within one's own power and international law is needed to show the right path.”

“Indonesia urges other countries and leaders to take this momentum towards our goal of a two-state solution by following the example of France,” he added.