By Agencia Brasil

Copyright mercopress

Brazil still waiting for visas to attend UN General Assembly

Brazilian officials are still waiting for US authorities to approve their visas to attend the upcoming 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, particularly after the Palestinian delegation was denied entry documents.

“We have been informed by the US government that the [visas] that have not yet been granted are being processed. There is no way to speculate on the outcome of this process,” admitted Marcelo Marotta Viegas, director of the Department of International Organizations at the Brazilian Foreign Ministry on Monday.

The UN General Assembly takes place from Sept. 22 to 26, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will speak on Sept. 23, as is customary for the Brazilian head of State to kick off speeches at every year’s event.

Lula’s visa is guaranteed, but other members of the delegation who have never been to the US are still awaiting authorization to enter US territory, it was reported in Brasilia.

Last week, the Associated Press (AP) said it had access to a US State Department memo with the Trump administration’s alleged assessment to limit visas for the Brazilian, Iranian, Sudanese, and Zimbabwean delegations.

The alleged restriction leaked to the AP came amid the Donald Trump administration’s onslaught against Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court’s (STF) decision to convict former President Jair Bolsonaro for attempting a coup d’état.

As the host country of the UN, the US has an agreement with the organization not to limit visas for delegations from countries represented in the General Assembly, a rule that has usually been respected even during the most tense moments of the Cold War.

According to Marotta Viegas, the expectation is that all visas will be granted. “Any measure that does not comply with what is established in the agreement [between the UN and the US] is a legal violation, which does not mean that it will not occur. In any case, we have no reason to believe that the US will not observe its legal obligations regarding the granting of visas,” he argued.

In August, the US revoked the visas of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its president, Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinian Authority controls part of the West Bank, while Hamas controls the Gaza Strip. The Trump administration accused Abbas’s organization of association with “terrorism” in the context of the conflict with Israel.

Last week, a UN committee discussed suspending visas for Palestinian envoys. Even though it is a UN observer state and does not have the same status as a member state, the Palestinian Authority would have the prerogative of access to visas.

The Brazilian delegation expressed its concern about any measure that could violate the UN host country agreement. “Brazil is not a member of the committee, but participated in this session and raised concerns about the failure to comply with the obligations of the host state,” the official from Itamaraty pointed out.

There is an expectation that European countries will officially recognize Palestine as a state at this month’s UN General Assembly. Countries such as France and the United Kingdom have expressed their intention to do so on that occasion. The United States (US) and Israel have spoken out against this recognition. (Source: Agencia Brasil)