The UN Security Council, which began discussing the Palestinian application for full UN membership on Monday, planned a new meeting on Wednesday to refer the request to a committee of legal experts, the council president said.
Lebanon's UN Ambassador Nawaf Salam told reporters that the application will go to the committee that normally examines new demands for membership, dpa reported.
"The council will hold a formal meeting on Wednesday to hand over the application to the committee," Salam said in a brief announcement.
He said the transfer of the application follows normal UN procedure to assess the validity of the application and whether membership requirements are met. Once the legal committee has reached a decision, it will inform the Security Council.
The Palestinian UN envoy, Riyadh Mansour, told reporters that the process could take a "certain time" to complete.
"We hope that the Security Council members will assume their responsibility and vote positively on the application," Mansour said.
The application was submitted by President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday and was quickly transmitted by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the 15-nation council, which has the first say on countries wanting to join the UN. Once the council approves a bid, it is then recommend to the UN General Assembly for final approval.
It takes nine votes in the Security Council to admit a new member, provided none of the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain - would cast a negative vote, which constitutes a veto.
The US has said it will veto the Palestinian bid and instead called for the Palestinian Authority to resume negotiations with Israel to reach a final settlement on their conflict and to establish a Palestinian state living next to Israel in peace.
Mansour said the Palestinian UN membership bid is supported by nine council members, but he did not name them.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle did not say in a speech Monday to the General Assembly how his country, which holds a two-year seat on the council, would vote, but emphasized Berlin's desire for a two-state solution and renewed negotiations.
"Both sides have legitimate interests," Westerwelle said. "However, these interests are certainly not irreconcilable."
Mansour said the bid is supported by more than 130 countries in the 193-member General Assembly, and he already predicted a Palestinian state would be the 194th UN member.