Palestinian officials brushed aside a promised US veto and pressure to abandon their bid for UN membership, saying they were determined to take their case to the Security Council and realize a goal unfulfilled by decades of negotiations.
Senior aides to President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinians would not accept political delays in their membership bid, but acknowledged that final UN action might not be taken for months or even longer. Abbas was expected to formally deliver a letter requesting membership on Friday when his turn comes to speak to the UN General Assembly.
The issue was dominating the annual ministerial meeting of the world body as the diplomatic world swirled with speculation about what deals might be in the works. The United States, insisting that Palestinian statehood depends first of peace with Israel, has vowed to veto the Palestinian measure should it win the needed nine of 15 Security Council votes.
Teams of envoys from the United States, the European Union and France were engaged in frenzied, last-minute efforts to persuade Abbas to return to the negotiating table and make do with something less than full UN membership.
US President Barack Obama and Abbas met for more than 45 minutes Wednesday evening. The White House wouldn't say whether Obama directly asked the Palestinian leader to abandon his plans to pursue full UN membership, saying only that he reiterated his opposition to the statehood bid and the US intention to issue a veto.
So far there was no indication that Abbas was ready for compromise despite intense pressure, but his aides said they were not setting deadlines for the Security Council to consider the application. And they left the door open for a Plan-B request to the General Assembly for an upgrade of their current status as a permanent observer to a nonmember observer state.
That option is seen as the lesser of two evils by the US and others seeking to steer them clear from the Security Council for now.
"This is an option that is open to us ... starting tomorrow, if we chose to do so, but President Abbas does not want anybody to suspect a lack of seriousness if we address the two councils at the same time," Palestinian negotiator and senior Abbas adviser Nabil Shaath told reporters. "So he will give some time to the Security Council to consider first our full membership request before heading to the General Assembly."
"We do not have a time limit," said Shaath. Nevertheless, he said, "This is a moment of truth."
Saeb Erekat, another senior aide, echoed that sentiment, saying the pursuit of UN membership would not be slowed: "We will not allow any political maneuvering on this issue," he said
That persistence has put the Palestinians on a collision course with the United States and Israel. A frustrated Obama told world leaders during his Wednesday UN speech that "there are no shortcuts" to peace.
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