South African President supports Palestinian state

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - South African President Jacob Zuma says his country "fully supports" the Palestinian drive for full membership of the United Nations. Zuma told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that Palestinian membership would be "a decisive step towards achieving lasting peace" in the region, AFP reported. The president stated that South Africa, a key UN Security Council member, "fully supports this position. South African’s backing has come as a big boost for acting Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Mahmoud Abbas, who is planning to submit a formal bid for UN membership for a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders at the General Assembly on Friday. Earlier on Wednesday, Lebanon and Brazil, both members of the 15-nation Security Council, announced that they will support the Palestinian statehood drive. Quite the opposite, European powers Britain, Germany and France have been dillydallying on the issue and have shown unwillingness to make a final decision on the UN vote./129