MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ecuador, the latest Latinamerican country to recognize a free sovereign Palestine

President Rafael Correa sent a letter to his peer Mahmoud Abbas

The Ecuadorean government is the latest in Latin American to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that President Rafael Correa officially recognized Palestine on Friday as “free and independent, with its borders since 1967” before the Israeli occupation.

A message to that effect was sent last Friday by President Correa to his Palestinian peer Mahmoud Abbas.

The recognition is in support of “the valid and legitimate aspiration of the Palestine people to have a free and independent state” says the release adding that “it will be fundamental to achieve through dialogue and negotiation the peaceful coexistence between countries” of the Mid East region.

Ecuador thus joins Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela in supporting an independent Palestine with borders recognized prior to the 1967 Six Days war.

Uruguay announced it would so early 2011 but Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro anticipated that the controversial borders’ issue “is under consideration”.

Ecuadorean authorities also addressed a copy of the statement addressed to the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and signed by President Correa, to the United Nations. The Ecuadorian ambassador at UN will also deliver the document to his Palestine peer.

“Unfortunately Middle East continues to suffer war and events of violence that have led to the death of many innocent people, situation which contrasts with the humanist and peaceful position clearly established in the Ecuadorean Constitution”, concludes the official statement.