Top Palestinian officials conceded after Mr Abbas met the US President yesterday that the membership bid was likely to be delayed for months but they brushed off Mr Obama's claim that "one-sided declarations in the UN" would not achieve statehood.
Mr Obama and Mr Abbas discussed the issue for more than 45 minutes.
The US President had a similar meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hours earlier.
The White House refused to confirm whether Mr Obama directly asked the Palestinian leader to abandon his plans to pursue full UN membership, saying only that he reiterated his opposition to the statehood bid and the US intention to issue a veto. » | The Australian | Additional reporting: AP, AFP | Friday, September 23, 2011
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