UN may lose US funds if it recognises palestine

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susa Rice has warned that her country could withdraw funding from the UN if its members recognize an independent Palestinian state next September, the London-based "the Daily Telegraph" revealed today. " there was 'no greater threat' to US support and funding of the UN than the prospect of Palestinian statehood being endorsed by member states," the paper quoted Rice as saying. "This would be exceedingly politically damaging in our domestic context, as you can well imagine," she added. The USA provides about a quarter of the UN budget (about $600 million) yearly. The paper also said that a video containing Miss Rice's comments has been removed from the Internet. Attempting to play down their significance, a spokesman for the ambassador said: "These were informal remarks in a domestic setting. " President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas plans to ask the 192-member UN General Assembly to vote on recognition of an independent Palestinian state in September. The US and Israel, however, are pressing Abbas to drop his plans. US President Barack Obama has strongly opposed the move, raising the prospect of a veto in the UN Security Council, which is expected to vote on a Palestinian statehood proposal in July. But Palestinian officials have spoken of their determination to a circumvent a US veto by deploying a mechanism known as "Uniting for Peace" under which a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly can override the Security Council. Although Palestinians believe they are close to securing such a majority, the General Assembly does not have the power to confer UN membership on a new Palestinian state, meaning that a successful vote would represent little more than a symbolic triumph.