Russia will support bid for state at UN: Palestine

A top Palestinian official said on Tuesday that Russia is supporting his government's bid to seek recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations this fall.

Nabil Shaath, head of a Palestinian delegation that met on Tuesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said "our plan to go to the United Nations will get support from Russia."

He didn't specify exactly what he meant by Russia's "support," and the Russian Foreign Ministry wouldn't comment on Shaath's claim.

UN membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council and approval by two-thirds of the General Assembly, or 128 countries.

With the US poised to veto the approval of Palestinian statehood at the UN Security Council, the Palestinians plan to turn to the General Assembly, whose decision would be nonbinding but could send a strong international message and put heavy pressure on Israel.

Shaath, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said, however, that the Palestinian campaign for statehood will not replace his nation's determination to resume stalled peace talks with Israel.

"Going to the United Nations is not a substitute for going to negotiations," he said, voicing hope that Russia's mediation will help resume peace talks.

The Palestinians insist they will not resume peace talks until Israel stops building settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas it captured in the 1967 war and which the Palestinians claim for their future state.

Israel maintains that the Palestinians should not be setting conditions for talks and that settlements didn't stop them from negotiating in the past.

Russia is a member of the so-called "Quartet" of Mideast peace makers along with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. The group is set to meet in Washington next week to spur the resumption of the talks.

Lavrov said the aim of talks by the Mideast Quartet is the creation of an "independent, democratic Palestinian state."

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