The Palestinian president has admitted that a unilateral bid for statehood will open a "difficult" situation in Middle East politics.

Mahmoud Abbas made the comments ahead of Friday's UN session in which the Palestinians are expected to ask the Security Council for full membership.

The US, one of the permanent members of the Security Council, has already vowed to veto the bid. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has repeatedly warned that it will be detrimental to the peace process. Instead, she has urged the Palestinians and Israel to return to direct negotiations.

Speaking in New York, Mr Abbas said he expected the Palestinian people and their leadership to "pass through very difficult times after the Palestinian approach".