Nigeria to support Palestinian bid at UN

Nigeria has agreed to support the Palestinian application to get a full membership via the United Nations Security Council, leaving the Palestinian request in need for one more vote to garner admission, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported Tuesday. The Palestinians secure the vote of Nigeria, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, during a meeting between Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki and his Nigerian counterpart Olugbenga Ashiru in New York, reported the agency, Wafa. Nigeria has already recognized the Palestinian state in 1984, Wafa said. On Monday, the Security Council started its first meeting to discuss the Palestinian request. The United States puts pressure on Nigeria and Gabon, two nonpermanent member of the Security Council, to prevent them from voting in favor of the Palestinian application of statehood. The United States wants the Palestinian state to come through a negotiated agreement with Israel, but the Palestinians refuse to resume negotiations with Israel before it stops settlement building in the West Bank and recognizes the borders of the future Palestinian state.