Palestinian ''UN seat'' to tour europe

A hand-made olive-wood chair, fashioned to look like the blue seats at the United Nations, is set to tour Europe to raise support for a Palestinian bid to join the world body. The chair was commissioned by a Palestinian NGO which is hoping to rally support for the campaign to secure full UN membership for a Palestinian state when the General Assembly meets in New York next month. Made from Al-Quds olive wood and upholstered in crushed velvet in the UN''s trademark air force blue, the chair is embossed with the words: "Palestine''s Right - A full membership in the United Nations." "The wood came from an olive tree in Jerusalem, the olive tree being a symbol of Palestine, while the blue upholstery with white writing came from Nablus," said Sufian al-Qawasmi, the Hebron-based designer who supervised the project. The chair will begin its tour in Beirut and then head to Qatar, before moving to Europe where it will be taken to London, Paris, Brussels and Madrid. It will then be flown to New York - where it will be formally presented to UN chief Ban Ki-moon in the hope that it will serve as the official UN seat for the State of Palestine.