Palestinians deny Arab states' pressure on UN appeal

RAMALLAH (Xinhua) - The Palestinians on Saturday denied any Arab states' pressure on their appeal to the UN Security Council for establishing a Palestinian state.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in an official press statement that the reports that Arab states exerted pressure on the Palestinians not to appeal to Security Council "are untrue."

"These reports are just malicious rumors aiming at distorting the Palestinian leadership," he said, adding that "all Arab states back our move in all the UN agencies and organizations."

Rdineh added that President Abbas highly evaluated and appreciated the Arab states' position toward Palestinians' draft resolutions appealed to the UN Security Council.

The Palestinian side, in coordination with Arab states, plans to go to the UN Security Council to demand a timetable for ending the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories and establishing a state on 1967 borders.

On Friday, Abbas said in a conference with his Fatah Party that the Palestinians insisted on holding the general parliamentary and presidential elections in the Palestinian territories as soon as possible after forming the unity government and appealing to the UN over statehood.