Abbas letter to Obama stresses statehood bid

RAMALLAH - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US President Barack Obama that the Palestinian bid for a membership in the United Nations was a non-retractable decision, an aide revealed Tuesday.

Abbas made the affirmation in a written message he sent to the US president Tuesday, said Nemer Hammad, Abba's political adviser.

Abbas also urged Washington not to hinder a voting on the Palestinian request, which is hoped to take place before the UN General Assembly in November, considering the US position of the Palestinian bid of 'no political justification."

The Palestinians seek to upgrade their status to a non-member state after they failed to enter the organization as a full member through the Security Council.

Washington wants the Palestinians to resume peace talks with Israel, which have stopped in 2010 over a dispute on Jewish settlement activities, and that the Palestinian state can be reached via a negotiated agreement with Israel.

On Monday, a Palestinian official said that Washington was putting pressure on the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to prevent him from calling for a session to vote on the Palestinian request.