United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he has “deepest regret” after the United States denies Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa for a second consecutive year, preventing him from attending next week’s UN General Assembly. Guterres’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, says the decision affects Abbas’s participation in UN work.
Dujarric says the Secretary-General is concerned about the impact of the US move on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the Organization’s activities. The US State Department announced the refusal for Abbas and other Palestinian officials ahead of the assembly, which begins Tuesday.
Across the reports, the common focus is on Guterres’s reaction and the practical consequence that Abbas cannot attend. The outlets describe the same sequence of events—visa denial, the repeated nature of the refusal, and the UN’s view that full delegation participation is essential—without presenting additional dispute details beyond the visa decision itself.
