COPENHAGEN: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Saturday there should be no restrictions on access to next month's UN General Assembly, after the United States said it would deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority.
"A UN General Assembly meeting... should not be subject to any restrictions on access," Barrot said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Denmark.
A string of ministers in Copenhagen echoed France's call for the United States to allow access to the Palestinian delegation.
The extraordinary step by Washington comes as France is leading a push to recognize the Palestinian state at the gathering of world leaders in New York.
The move further aligns US President Donald Trump's administration with Israel's government, which is waging a war in Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority called for the United States to reverse its decision, which it said "stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement".
Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, a veteran 89-year-old leader who once had cordial relations with Washington, had planned to attend the UN meeting.
Under an agreement as host of the United Nations in New York, the United States is not supposed to refuse visas for officials heading to the world body.