Palestinians set date for UN statehood bid

YNet News (Link) - AFP (August 13, 2011)

The Palestinians will present their bid for membership of the United Nations on September 20, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki told AFP on Saturday.

�Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will personally present the request to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon... at the opening of the sixty-sixth session,� on September 20, Malki said.

Abbas �will insist on this historic initiative and Ban Ki-moon will present the request to the Security Council,� the foreign minister added.

Malki noted that the Palestinian Authority chose September because Lebanon, which will hold the presidency of the Security Council, would be in a strong position to push the bid forward.

�Lebanon will hold the presidency of the Security Council in September and this will help us because the president of the council has special prerogatives, which is crucial,� he said.

Last month, a routine Security Council debate on the Middle East and Palestine became Israel�s and the Palestinian Authority�s dress rehearsal for September�s General Assembly conference where the Palestinians will seek UN recognition.

Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour called on the UN to recognize a Palestinian state. It�s time to end the occupation, he said before bursting into tears. Israel�s Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor warned that the Palestinian way of bypassing peace talks will lead to frustration and violence. �