From Sr. State Dept Producer Elise Labott reporting from the UN General Assembly
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to tell President Obama during their one-on-one meeting today that he will deliver a letter to the UN Security Council seeking statehood but will not expect the United Nations to act immediately, Palestinian officials tell CNN. The officials say Abbas would deliver the letter sometime before he leaves the U.S. on Friday.
The officials say Abbas plans to give the UN and U.S. several weeks to respond to the letter—temporarily averting a diplomatic showdown. Abbas will wait for a response from the Quartet, the officials tell CNN and sometime thereafter is likely to go back to the UN General Assembly to negotiate statehood, working through the UN Security Council.
The goal is to pressure a vote by the UN General Assembly legitimizing Palestinian statehood.