PLO Executive Committee Member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, held separate meetings with the British Consul-General, Vincent Fean, French Consul-General, Frederic Desagneaux, European Union Representative, Christian Berger, and Austrian Head of Mission, Leonhard Moll to discuss progress concerning the PLO’s intention to seek UN membership this month, said a press release on Sunday. Ashrawi stressed the continuing close cooperation and consultation between the PLO and its many friends and allies to ensure Palestine’s success at the UN. She said, “September is a historical test for the international community. We have reached a turning point, both in terms of possibilities for peace on the ground, and in light of the democratic changes transforming the region as a whole. Many in the Arab world and elsewhere will assess developments at the UN later this month as an indication of how genuine the international community’s support for freedom, democracy, human dignity and self-determination is.” Ashrawi criticized the position of the US and its decision to veto any Security Council resolution in support of Palestine’s membership to the UN as being in direct contravention of long-standing US policy and declared values. “By allowing narrow self-interest and Israeli dictates and demands to override principles and the imperatives of justice, the United States will only further undermine its own standing in the Arab world and harm its credibility and national interests in the process,” she said. Ashrawi said that if Israel is worried about the legal implications of Palestine’s membership to the UN, then it should cease its daily violations of international law and end its occupation, rather than expect Palestinians to abandon their rights in order to protect Israel from the consequences of its own excesses and illegal actions.