Abbas meets world leaders amid UN diplomatic drive

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas continues his diplomatic drive as he prepares to seek membership for a Palestinian state in the United Nations in the world bodys upcoming General Assembly meeting.Working into the night on Monday, Abbas had meetings with European foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and later with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN chief on Monday he would seek full membership for a Palestinian state at the United Nations, a move the United States and Israel warn could derail hopes for resuming peace talks.Earlier in the day Abbas told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon he would seek full membership for a Palestinian state at the United Nations, a move the United States and Israel warn could derail hopes for resuming peace talks.Abbas told Ban he would press ahead with plans to ask for a Security Council vote on Friday on Palestinian membership. Washington has threatened to veto any such move.Ban told Abbas he would send any application submitted to the Security Council and called for the Israelis and the Palestinians to resume talks within a legitimate and balanced framework, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.The Palestinian crisis has overshadowed this weeks meeting of the U.N. General Assembly and sparked hectic talks aimed at averting a confrontation that carries risks for the Palestinians, Israel and the United States.Senior diplomats from the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- the Quartet of Middle East mediators -- are meeting throughout the week in hopes of finding a way forward.The Quartet has for months been trying to put together guidelines for future peace talks, thus far without result.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered to launch direct negotiations but has not made any concession on key issues the Palestinians say prevent talks from resuming.