UN votes today on Palestinian bid for state recognitionC
CBC.Ca
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird in New York to oppose move


The UN General Assembly will consider today the Palestinian Authority's bid to have its status in the UN upgraded to state recognition, forcing world governments to pick a side on the contentious and divisive issue.


Canadian
Foreign Affairs Minister John
Baird is travelling to New York on Thursday to oppose any "unilateral" move
by the Palestinians for statehood, and will present the country's concerns
directly before the world body.
Prime
Minister Stephen Harper says Canada favours a two-state solution in the
region.
"That
will not be accomplished in reality unless and until the Palestinian Authority
returns to the negotiating table and is able to get a comprehensive peace
agreement with Israel.… So we encourage them to do that and we will not support
any other shortcuts or any other ways of trying to arrive at that solution
without such a peace agreement," he told reporters on Wednesday.
However,
the NDP says it is "very troubled" by the Harper government's approach.
"Instead
of choosing the path of going to support negotiations and get what we all want,
a two-state solution, they have chosen the path of confrontation," NDP foreign
affairs critic Paul Dewar told CBC News.
The
UN General Assembly is expected to vote Thursday afternoon on whether to upgrade
the Palestinians' status from a non-member observer entity to a non-member
observer state. While it can't confer full-member status, the recognition would
be seen as a major symbolic victory.