Cyprus has suddenly emerged as a leading candidate for the Presidency of the 81st General Assembly after the Palestinian UN Permanent Observer Ryad Mansour withdrew yesterday, with reports citing Israeli and American pressure towards Arabic states to remove their support for Mansour or refrain from backing his candidacy.
According to Cyprus News Agency sources at the UN headquarters, following this development, Republic of Cyprus hopeful, ambassador Andreas Kakouris and Bangladeshi Mohammed Tuhid Hossein will be battling it out for the position, with elections set to be held on June 2nd in a GA plenum.
The Palestinian Ambassador had submitted his candidacy quite early, summer last year, after a briefing of member states and he officially announced it just two weeks ago with a letter to the UN Secretariat.
Process and traditionally wise, the five continent groups as classified by the international organisation for logistics purposes (Western Europe and other African states, Asia-Pacific, Latin American and Carribean, Eastern Europe) alternate in the GA Presidency position as common and accepted practice. This year it was decided that the President will be elected from the Asia-Pacific group.
What happened with the Palestinian Candidacy
The announcement of the Palestinian candidacy had unsuprisingly caused strong Israeli reaction and following the Mansour withdrawal, Israeli Permanent UN Ambassador Danny Danon claimed that it was 'yet another effort to turn the General Assembly into a political circus against Israel.'
Instead of promoting a cynical move that aims at a backdoor strengthening of the Palestinian UN representation, Danon further added, attention should be turned towards ending the incitement of terrorism and implementing real reforms in the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinians said they were forced to withdrew from the running due to 'Israeli existential threats at the occupied West Bank'.
According to CNA diplomatic sources however, Mansour's decision was the result of Israeli and US pressure on Arabic countries, which subsequently withdrew their support.