RAMALLAH, December 21, 2011 (WAFA) – The United States blocked a Palestinian draft resolution at the United Nations Climate Change Convention in Durban, South Africa, that calls for support for environmental projects in the Palestinian Territory, a Palestinian official said Wednesday.

Jamil Mutawar, vice chairman of the Environment Quality Authority, said in a press conference that the Palestinian delegation proposed a draft resolution to support Palestinian efforts to face the negative effects of climate change in the occupied Palestinian Territory through access to the financial mechanisms available within the framework of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The US representative at the convention informed the Palestinian delegation that his country will oppose the draft resolution in spite of the fact it was purely technical in nature and had no political connotations, he said.

He said the Palestinian delegation decided not to submit the draft resolution because resolutions at the convention have to be adopted unanimously.

R.Q./M.S.