France won’t vote on Palestinian statehood

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy gestures during a news conference on the second day of the G20 Summit in Cannes on Nov. 4. Photo by REUTERS/Charles Platiau

France will abstain from voting on whether to admit Palestine as a full member of the United Nations.

The French Foreign Ministry said Friday it sees no chance of Palestine’s statehood request passing the Security Council because the United States, which holds veto power, has already announced it will vote against. The ministry also voiced concern about the violence that might occur if the vote was to fail.

Currently, Palestine is considered an observer entity at the U.N. The ministry has offered to help elevate Palestine’s status to a nonmember state.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told journalists in Ramallah that Palestinians are not interested in anything other but becoming a full member state.

“We do not want, after all these struggles, sacrifices, and efforts by the entire Palestinian people to accept an observer state in the United Nations. We will not accept less than we deserve,” al-Maliki said.

Earlier this week, France voted in favor of Palestine becoming a member of UNESCO, the U.N. scientific and cultural organization.