Palestinians seek UN recognition

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he would immediately hold peace talks with Israel if the United Nations recognizes Palestine as a non-member state. "We're ready to go back to negotiations straightaway. Going to the U.N. is not a substitute for negotiations. We are in need of negotiations to solve the final status of issues that face us both," the Palestinian Ma'an news agency quoted Abbas as saying in Ramallah Wednesday. The Palestine Liberation Organization submitted a "position paper" to European governments detailing plans to upgrade Palestine's U.N. status in November, the news agency said. A copy of the document was obtained by the news agency. "Together with the international community, Palestine believes that the status quo of political deadlock while occupation, colonization and apartheid policies become further entrenched is neither acceptable nor sustainable. ... This step reaffirms and protects the internationally endorsed two-state solution," it reads. The step is consistent with the formal Palestinian recognition of Israel in 1993 and consistent with the goal of the peace process, the document states.