The Argentine congress ratified this week the free trade agreement between Mercosur and Israel. The accord subscribed in 2007 and already passed by the Senate, was approved in the Lower House by 144 votes, 8 nays and 10 abstentions.
Chile’s President Sebastian Piñera visited both sides of the hotly contested Israeli- Palestine border this weekend. He reasserted his support for an independent Palestinian state, but fell short of formally recognizing the pre-1967 borders.
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera arrived in Italy this week for a three-day visit to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the Vatican. It comes at a difficult time for Berlusconi, who is in the middle of a scandal and allegations of tax fraud and consorting with under-age prostitutes.
By 3pm last Friday afternoon, the protesters in central Cairo were chanting: Where is the army? Come and see what the police are doing to us. We want the army. And that is the main question, really. Where is the Egyptian army in all this?
Uruguay will officially recognize a Palestinian sovereign state next March but will not announce position regarding borders said Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro addressing the Legislative standing committee.
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.
Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru are expected to recognize the state of Palestine with its borders prior to 1967, following the recent announcements from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and last week Bolivia, according to Palestine sources.
United States disapproved of the recognition of a Palestine state from the part of several Latin American countries, saying that direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians are still the only way to reach peace in the Middle East.