Abbas to launch new tour for supporting UN statehood bid

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is to begin a tour on Tuesday to member countries of the United Nations Security Council to earn support for the bid of a Palestinian statehood, a well-informed official source said. Abbas is scheduled to travel from Ramallah in the West Bank to Amman in Jordan on Tuesday, where he will hold talks with Jordanian officials over the situation in the region, the source told Xinhua. "President Abbas will then fly to France to address the European Union Council in Strasbourg on Thursday," said the source, adding that he will then visit Honduras and Columbia in central America. Abbas will arrive in Portugal on the final leg of his tour, the source added, saying that the aim of the tour to those countries " is to gain a confirmation from them that they will vote for the Palestinian bid." On Sept. 23, shortly before he addressed the UN General Assembly, Abbas submitted an official request for a full membership of a Palestinian statehood. The Palestinians need at least nine votes to secure that their request is admitted in the 15-member UN Security Council. However, the United States, which is one of the five influential members of the council threatened to veto the bid. Meanwhile, Reyad al-Malki, the Palestinian minister of foreign affairs told the Voice of Palestine Radio that he was confident that Palestinian diplomatic efforts would succeed to guarantee nine votes in favor of the bid.