<p>Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam, who holds this month's rotating presidency, made a brief appearance before reporters and issued a brief statement in English and Arabic.<br />He said the council had met last afternoon and decided to take up a decision on referring the issue for further consideration two days hence.<br /><br />The Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour said he was grateful to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for quickly forwarding the request to the Security Council.<br /><br />Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday submitted the application that Palestine become the United Nations' 194th member.<br /><br />"We hope it will lead to fast action in positively recognising that Palestine be admitted," Mansour said.<br /><br />Mansour said that the Palestinian leadership will be meeting tomorrow on a subsequent statement by the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers the US, European Union, Russia and UN calling for a resumption of peace talks without preconditions within a month and a target for a final agreement by the end of 2012.<br /><br />Israel and the United States oppose the move to grant UN membership to the Palestinians and consider it a step back from long-stalled peace talks, and the US has said it will veto a resolution recommending membership.<br /><br />Nonetheless, diplomats said the council is moving ahead as it does with all applications it receives.</p>
<p>Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam, who holds this month's rotating presidency, made a brief appearance before reporters and issued a brief statement in English and Arabic.<br />He said the council had met last afternoon and decided to take up a decision on referring the issue for further consideration two days hence.<br /><br />The Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour said he was grateful to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for quickly forwarding the request to the Security Council.<br /><br />Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday submitted the application that Palestine become the United Nations' 194th member.<br /><br />"We hope it will lead to fast action in positively recognising that Palestine be admitted," Mansour said.<br /><br />Mansour said that the Palestinian leadership will be meeting tomorrow on a subsequent statement by the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers the US, European Union, Russia and UN calling for a resumption of peace talks without preconditions within a month and a target for a final agreement by the end of 2012.<br /><br />Israel and the United States oppose the move to grant UN membership to the Palestinians and consider it a step back from long-stalled peace talks, and the US has said it will veto a resolution recommending membership.<br /><br />Nonetheless, diplomats said the council is moving ahead as it does with all applications it receives.</p>