Abbas meets leaders, Netanyahu approves two-state solution

President Mahmoud Abbas holds  meetings with world leaders in New York. New York/Jerusalem – Amira Ajloni/Sona Al-Deek The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has held meetings with world leaders in New York. Abbas is believed to have discussed his intention to obtain full United Nations membership for Palestine. Holding court at his residence in New York, Abbas met Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the President of the Dominican Republic, Lionel Fernandez Reyna, President Cristina Fernandez of Argentina and the President of the Libyan Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil.
Abbas also spoke to the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal by telephone.
Meanwhile, an Israeli official has said that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has finally accepted the two state solution.
The secretary of the Israeli government, Zvi Hauser, claimed that "there is hope that we might make some progress in the peace process soon."
"Israel is open to achieving peace with the Palestinians and Netanyahu accepts the concept of two states for two nations", Hauser told an Israeli radio station.
"Netanyahu will hold meetings with several world leaders and he will show them that the only way to achieve peace is through direct negotiations, not through unilateral measures."
The acceptance came as the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, warned that the US will use its veto power against the Palestinian request, which “might lead to a spiral of violence in the Middle East”
In a speech given to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Sarkozy also called for "one year to reach a definitive agreement" between Israel and the Palestinians.
He said that the US-led peace process should not bypass European, Arab or other countries.
Aiming to avoid a showdown, Sarkozy sought a middle road for the Palestinian plan.
"Each of us knows that Palestine cannot immediately obtain full and complete recognition as a United Nations member state. The first reason for this is the lack of trust between the main parties," Sarkozy said.
"But who could doubt that a veto at the Security Council risks engendering a cycle of violence in the Middle East?"
"Must we therefore exclude an intermediate stage? Why not envisage offering Palestine the status of United Nations observer state? This would be an important step forward.”
"Most important, it would mean emerging from a state of immobility that favors only the extremists. We would be restoring hope by making progress towards the final status."
Under UN rules, any bid for full membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council and then a two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly.
Non-member status would require only a straight majority in the General Assembly where no veto is possible.
It would also give the Palestinians access to international organisations like the World Health Organization and perhaps the International Criminal Court.  
The President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, also spoke to the General Assembly about Palestine, urging the body to accept Palestine as a full member.
Rousseff said: "only a free Palestinian state with full sovereignty will be able to meet the expectations of Israel's peace and security within its borders and political stability in its neighborhood."
Brazil, which has a seat on the Security Council, is one of the countries that has recognised a Palestinian state.
"Like most member states in the General Assembly, we believe that the time has come for Palestine to be represented here as a full member state."
Brazil has opposed the US decision to veto the plan.
If the US does not exercise its veto power, then the Palestinians will still require the support of nine out of fifteen Security Council member states.
Diplomats say that it is not guaranteed that the Palestinians will receive the support of nine countries, although if they do, the US will be forced to use its veto.