By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Gaza: Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas will Friday formally submit an application for recognition of statehood to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after his speech at the General Assembly, a media report said.
Ban will pass the request on to the Security Council within two days so as not to delay the vote, the Palestinian al Quds agency said, citing a high ranking source in Ban’s office.
He is also expected to urge the Security Council for an early vote on the application.
The US, one of the five permanent members with veto powers, has said it will veto any Palestinian statehood bid at the UN Security Council. But the Palestinian authorities have said they will push for at least non-full member status in the UN via a General Assembly vote.
Russia has said it will back the Palestinian statehood bid.
Israel and the US strongly oppose the move, saying the long-running Middle East conflict can be resolved only through negotiations.
After his UN address, Abbas will leave New York for the Palestinian territories for consultations on the next step forward.