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Contact: Genevieve Frye Rozansky
202-225-2635
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House Republicans Send Letter to State Department Questioning Restoration of UNESCO Funding
Letter to Secretary Clinton Organized by Congressman Flake Stresses Current Law Must be Upheld and Contributions to UNESCO Cease After Vote to Grant Palestinian Authority Full UNESCO Membership
Mesa, Arizona ,
Feb 22 -
Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, sent a letter along with 11 other House Republicans to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding the Obama Administration’s budget request of $79 million for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). U.S. law prohibits U.S. contributions to the United Nations or any associated organization that awards the Palestinian Authority the same standing as full member states.
The State Department included the funding in the president’s 2013 budget request with the hope that Congress will grant a legal waiver allowing UNESCO funding to be restored, thereby changing current law.
The letter reads: “Your response articulated President Obama’s policy that ‘direct negotiations remain the only effective way for Palestinians and Israelis to deal with the difficult issues they face and achieve a lasting peace.’ We are therefore seeking clarification from you on how the Administration plans to support this policy, while actively seeking to support an organization that willingly chose to undermine it.”
“We’re simply seeking clarification as to how restoring funding to UNESCO by upending current U.S. law will further the peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel,” said Flake. “It’s been the Obama Administration’s policy that direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will ultimately lead to a lasting peace agreement. Bucking U.S. law to restore funding to UNESCO isn’t in keeping with this policy.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.
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