World | Palestine Sarkozy, Obama to Abbas: Drop UN Membership Bid Presidents will make their appeal today By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Sep 21, 2011 8:26 AM CDT Copied French President Nicolas Sarkozy meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Millennium Hotel in New York during the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 20, 2011. (Andrew Burton) French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama plan to heap pressure on their Palestinian counterpart today in a concerted push to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to end his bid for full UN membership and to instead seek upgraded status in the world body. The presidents will make their pitches during speeches at the opening session of the UN General Assembly, and Obama will make the same argument in private when he meets with Abbas today. Abbas was expected to deliver a formal request for statehood recognition Friday. While Obama will formally ask Abbas not to pursue the statehood bid, the mission is actually directed at containing the fallout by urging the Palestinian leader not to push for an actual vote in the Council, where the US has promised a veto. A delay would give international peacemakers time to produce a statement that would be the basis for resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Sarkozy met with Abbas yesterday, and diplomats close to the talks say he told the Palestinian leader that he would outline a proposal for the Palestinians to seek upgraded status with the General Assembly, where no member holds a veto. Read These Next 11 people hurt in a "brutal act of violence" in Michigan. A parent's nightmare, in a white cardboard box. We knew Letterman would pipe up about Colbert eventually. White House makes Hegseth put his polygraph away. Report an error