September 9, 2025 | 03:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United Nations on Monday refuted claims that the high-level General Assembly week will be moved from New York to Geneva, following the United States' decision to ban Palestinian officials from entering.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric dismissed the reports as "misinformation" and stated in a press briefing that there's been "no such vote in the General Assembly" to move the high-level event to another location.
"I'm not aware of any preparations being made to move the General Assembly high-level session out of New York," he said, as quoted by Anadolu.
Dujarric emphasized that the "reports on fake news sites" claiming that the General Assembly had decided to move the session were "wrong."
When asked about the potential reaction to President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine's ban from attending the conference on the two-state solution for the Palestine-Israel conflict, Dujarric said, "As far as we know, there’s no change in the host country’s position.”
On July 31, the U.S. Department of State imposed sanctions on the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, refusing to grant U.S. visas to their members.
This move came after France, the UK, Canada, and Australia announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming General Assembly, joining 147 countries that have already recognized Palestine as a sovereign state.
Belgium Rejects Issuing Passports for Palestinian Delegation
Belgium will not be able to issue diplomatic passports for Palestinian officials to enable their participation in the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York, according to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a separate statement reported by Anadolu.
This announcement follows a proposal from the Belgian-Palestine Association (BPA), suggesting Belgium to issue diplomatic passports for Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas, after the U.S. government refused entry visas for the Palestinian delegation.
However, the Belgian authorities stated that the 2014 Consular Law no longer allows the issuance of diplomatic passports to non-Belgian citizens, as reported by the French-language public broadcaster RTBF.
"A Belgian diplomatic passport is reserved for Belgians who represent Belgium, a Community or a Region, or who hold a high-level political or diplomatic position," the ministry said.
The ministry further noted that even if diplomatic passports were issued, it wouldn't guarantee entry into the United States, as visa requirements still apply.
"The American authorities systematically refuse visas to representatives of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) for political reasons," it stated.
On August 30, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot criticized the U.S. decision as "unfair and counterproductive," especially at a time when many countries are working to revive the two-state solution under the Franco-Saudi initiative.
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