MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Palestine President Welcomes Paraguay’s Recognition
Paraguayan Foreign Minister, Hector Lacognata Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed Paraguay's recognition of a free and independent Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
The Palestinian state-run news agency “Wafa” quoted Abbas as saying that he appreciates the Latin American country's decision to recognize the Palestinian state, and praised the ties with the Palestinian National Authority.
Paraguayan Foreign Minister, Hector Lacognata, on Friday said that his country recognizes a Palestinian state, free and independent in the 1967 territories.
”With the failure of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the recognition of Palestine within 1967 borders is fundamentally based on international rights as is seen repeatedly in the United Nations resolutions related to the issue,” Lacognata said.
Paraguay is the ninth country in South America that had officially recognized an independent Palestinian State. Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana and Uruguay have recently recognized a Palestinian state within the borders that existed before the 1967 six-day war at which time Israel occupied the rest of Palestine.
Israel “slammed” the wave of recognitions and considered them as “a highly damaging interference”, adding that these countries were never involved in the Middle East peace process.
More than 130 UN member states have recognized the Palestinian right to an independent Palestinian State.
Israel and the United States opposed the Latin American countries' recognition, saying that this contradicts with the signed peace agreements that recognizing a state should go only through bilateral peace talks.
After the direct peace talks failed due to Israel's insistence to continue settlement constructions, the Palestinians said they have other diplomatic options, mainly asking the world to recognize a Palestinian state.
The move comes just before a summit scheduled in February between countries in Latin American and several Arab Countries. The summit will be held in Lima and Peru in February.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules-
-
-
Read all commentsNext stop for paraguay, venezuela in mercosur.
Jan 30th, 2011 - 08:29 pm 0Bra/Arg alliance muscle; it ends in south pole.
“More than 130 UN member states have recognized the Palestinian *right to* an independent Palestinian State.”
Jan 31st, 2011 - 03:29 pm 0Apparently the South American nations do more than this - they recognise the State itself, ....... even though there isn't one!
This is a dangerous precident for (eg) Argentina, because if Israel is 'required' to revert to the pre-6 Day War borders, countries like Argentina might be required similarly to hand back its pre-1853 territories Patagonia and TdF!
...only joking ;-)
many countries in south america understand the problem in the mideast. and they know who is right and who is wrong historicly. history dictakes who the is the good guy and who is the bad guy or who is lying.
Feb 01st, 2011 - 03:46 am 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!