AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The United States refused to grant visas to Palestinian representatives to attend the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, which continue until April 18 in Washington. Oman also declined to participate in these meetings.
Some sources told the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website that the United States refused to grant visas to Palestinian representatives to attend the IMF and World Bank meetings, which continue until April 18 in Washington.
Two other sources also said that the Omani delegation refrained from attending this round, and only representatives from its embassy in Washington were present at the meetings.
Another source also said that at least two other Arab countries are not attending this year's meetings.
Another source also stated that the Kuwaiti delegation is not present in this round, and Iraq is also unable to participate in these meetings.
Washington had previously expanded in December the list of countries whose citizens are banned from entering the United States to 20 countries, including the Palestinian Authority. Under the previous ban, citizens of 12 countries, including Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia, were not allowed to enter the United States.
The United States subsequently allowed delegations from several countries on the banned list, such as Syria and Yemen, as well as some African countries like Niger and several others, to attend the IMF meetings, but the Palestinian delegation was barred from attending.
The U.S. State Department declined to provide an explanation for this decision, referring the matter to the Treasury Department, which is responsible for imposing sanctions on individuals.
The U.S. Treasury Department also declined to answer Al-Araby Al-Jadeed's question regarding whether Iran was barred from attending the IMF meetings.
Even the IMF, of which Iran is a member, has so far declined to answer Al-Araby Al-Jadeed's question about Iran's attendance at this round of meetings.
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