Austria is suggesting that the European Union work on its own resolution on a diplomatically delicate Palestinian bid for full UN membership, Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said Saturday. Asked by journalists at a meeting of EU foreign ministers whether the 27-nation bloc, which is split on the question, was working on its own resolution, Spindelegger said: “I have proposed that we'll see how the consultations progress”. “Of course we must also see what the Palestinians are really requesting, whether they are demanding recognition by the Security Council or whether they'll go to the General Assembly, for a different sort of status,” he added. “We must first clarify matters with them.” Arriving for two days of talks in this Polish seaside resort on Friday, several ministers urged the EU to speak with a single voice just weeks before the Palestinians are to formally submit a request for membership. But EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, as well as ministers, said a single position on the issue remained elusive, as the Palestinian proposal remained unknown.
