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Palestinian leader to renew statehood bid

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to renew the call for recognition as a non-member state at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 27, Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Saturday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to renew the call for recognition as a non-member state at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 27, Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Saturday.

Chances of garnering the necessary majority are rated as good, after a request for full membership failed in the Security Council last year.

The announcement came a day before the Palestinian Authority is to host its first meeting of the Palestine Committee of the NonAligned Movement in Ramallah, to garner support for their bid for statehood.

NAM is a group of states that say they are not formally aligned with or against any major world power bloc, or the West. It has about 120 members, and is sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

Al-Malki said the meeting, requested by the Palestinian Authority, was to introduce NAM members to the Palestinian situation and to ask for support in the UN General Assembly bid.

"The meeting aims to stress the right of our people and leadership to hold conferences on our land and to support our struggle to end the occupation and settlements and establish our independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," al-Malki said.

The Palestine Committee meeting in Ramallah comprises the foreign ministers of 13 NAM member states and will be headed by Egypt, he said.