HANOI. Mar 2: The United Nations was told today that Palestine must gain full membership to the international body by September this year otherwise the Middle East peace process would become "a sick Joke", reports AFP.

"Now clearly we have to respect this final time limit, otherwise we will jeopardise the legitimate rights of our people." Nasser al-Kidwa, permanent UN observer of Palestine, told a conference on I he peace process being held here.

"We want full rights at the Millennium summit — otherwise it will all become a sick joke." he told AFP outside the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.