Abbas Insists on Applying To UN

Xinhua News reports:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas still insists to apply to the United Nations in September to demand a full membership of the state of Palestine, although, as observers say, his stance is getting more difficult on the internal and foreign levels.

Despite the opposition of Israel and United States to the Palestinian intent to apply to the UN, Abbas reiterated in a joint news conference held with his Azerbaijani counterpart in the Azerbaijani capital on Tuesday that he still insists to apply to the UN in September.

"We are with the negotiations with Israel first, second and third and we are with the peaceful means to reach peace via talks, but if we didn't succeed, we would go to the UN to tell the world what do you think of people who spent 63 years under occupation and seek independence nothing more," said Abbas.

Abbas had earlier repeated on various occasions that his first choice is to hold talks with Israel, and the talks should be based on an international reference and the two-state solution with the 1967 borders and a specific timetable with a complete freeze of settlement construction.