Russian FM: Palestinian UN bid should be resolved by consensus

Russia would like the Palestinian National Authority's UN bid to be resolved by means of consensus, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday. "There are different suggestions: for example for the Palestinians to ask the UN General Assembly not for membership but for the observer status," Lavrov told Russian journalists. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to deliver a formal request for statehood recognition on Friday when he speaks to the UN General Assembly. Israel and the U.S. strongly oppose the move, saying the long-running Middle East conflict can be resolved only through negotiations. Washington has pledged to veto any Palestinian statehood bid in the UN Security Council. But the Palestinian authorities have said they will push for at least non-full member status in the United Nations via a General Assembly vote. The majority of UN member states support the Palestinian bid.