Elaine Ganley
Daily Star
December 14, 2011
PARIS: Palestinians raised their flag at the headquarters of the U.N. cultural agency in Paris Tuesday as the agency’s 195th member, a historic move and symbolic boost for their push for an independent state.
Cheers rose as the red, black, white and green flag went up in pouring rain under the gaze of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova. She welcomed Palestine without mentioning the U.S. funding cutoff that its membership prompted and that is hobbling the organization.
“This is truly a historic moment,” Abbas said later at an indoor ceremony, his speech punctuated by rousing applause and standing ovations. He said he and the Palestinian people were deeply moved that their flag could join the 194 others at the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, headquartered in a massive concrete structure on Paris’ Left Bank.
“We hope this will be a good auspice for Palestine to become a member of other organizations,” he said.
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