Abbas expects Security Council to reach a decision on Palestinian membeship within weeks

            Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday he expected the Security council to finish debating his application to allow the Palestinains full membership at the UN, within weeks, not months. Speaking to journalists on his plane back to the Middle East , Abbas said the Security Council members had initially appeared unenthusiastic about the idea of discussiong the application, but the mood appeared to change after he delivered his speech to the General Assembly on Friday. Earlier in Ramallah, a leading unnamed official in Fatah said the Palestinians wanted a decision on the bid within a fortnight. Palestinan foreign minister Riad Al-Maliki told the press that consultations were continuing especially with Gabon, Nigeria and Bosnia -Herzegovina, which have yet to define their position. ( 23,58)