UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (R) meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the UNheadquarters in New York September 19, 2011.
UNITED NATIONS - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said here Monday that hewill formally apply for the UN membership on Friday, a UN spokesman told reporters.
Abbas, who is here in New York at the UN Headquarters for the annual debate of the UNGeneral Assembly, made the statement in his meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,according to Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky.
"The secretary-general and President Mahmoud Abbas had a constructive meeting today," saidNesirky, adding that President Abbas had informed the secretary-general of his intention tosubmit on Friday an application for membership in the United Nations.
Last week, Ban told a press conference that he will pass the application to the Security Council ifasked to do so by the Palestinians.
After that, the global peace and security body would examine it and come up with a resolution torecommend Palestinian statehood to the General Assembly. However, the U.S., a strong ally ofIsrael and one of the five permanent members of the 15-nation Council, is likely to use its vetopower to thwart the Palestinians.
If the statehood bid in the Security Council fails, Abbas and the Palestinians could bring theircase straight to the General Assembly, where it has widespread support. In this scenario,though, the Palestinians would only be able to gain non-member observer statehood. This wouldbe a step up from their current status of permanent observer, but would not allow them to castvotes at the UN.
"The secretary-general reiterated his support for the two-state solution and stressed his desireto ensure that the international community and the two parties can find a way forward forresuming negotiations within a legitimate and balanced framework, and discussed with PresidentAbbas the ongoing Quartet efforts in this regard," Nesirky said, adding President Abbas hadstressed his commitment to a "negotiated solution."
The Quartet, which groups the United States, the European Union, Russia and the UnitedStates, is a diplomatic group in search of the two-state solution -- an independent PalestineState to live in peace with a secure Israel.
Asked if the secretary-general had a preference concerning the Palestinian bid for UNmembership, the spokesperson said this was a matter for member states to decide through theestablished procedures.
In response to a question on a meeting of the Quartet envoys, Nesirky said they held regularmeetings and had met on Sunday in New York.
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