US veto of Palestinian statehood 'could inflame Arab world'

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to submit a formal request for Palestinian statehood at UN headquarters in New York on Friday.

The move is being backed by Egypt's Foreign Minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr, who told the BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen that supporting the application was the single most important thing the US and its western allies could do for Middle East peace.