The decision of the US to not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for the United Nations General Assembly, where Washington's allies are preparing to recognize Palestine as a state, has caused a storm of reactions.

In addition to the General Assembly, Abbas also intended to attend a summit there, where Britain, France, Australia and Canada have pledged to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh today asked Washington to reconsider its decision.

"We call on the US administration to revoke this decision, which is contrary to international law, in particular the Headquarters Agreement between the United Nations and the US, which prohibits the obstruction of any delegation from access," he told Reuters.

What does the US say?

A State Department official said Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by the decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

Abbas's office said it was shocked by the visa decision and pointed out that it violates the agreement on the United Nations headquarters.

Under a 1947 United Nations Headquarters Agreement, the United States is generally required to allow foreign diplomats access to the United Nations in New York. However, Washington maintains that it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.

Violent reactions

European foreign ministers, upon arriving at a European Union summit in Copenhagen today, criticized the American decision.

A UN General Assembly cannot be subject to any restrictions on access, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters. For his part, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris said the EU should protest the decision in the strongest possible terms.

Today, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced in a statement that he had a telephone conversation with Abbas to express Madrid's support, while calling the decision on entry visas unfair.

Palestine has the right to have its voice heard at the United Nations and in all international forums, he wrote in a message to X.

For his part, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the UN would discuss the issue with the State Department.