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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| France unready to recognize Palestinian state now - spokesman |
| 2010-12-08 |
| (KUNA) -- Despite past indications that La Belle France could do so if Middle East talks stalled, French officials said Tuesday that they "did not want to anticipate discussions between the parties" and they would not recognize an independent Paleostinian state within the 1967 borders at this time. Foreign Ministry front man Bernard Valero noted that the principle of a Paleostinian state had been agreed by the European Union in Berlin in 1999. "Within this perspective, we want a resumption of peace talks, which must address all questions; the final status, the setting out of the parameters of a Paleostinian state and allow for its creation. We want a viable Paleostinian state, which means with 1967 borders, with exchanges of territory." Valero was reacting to a KUNA question on La Belle France's position on Paleostinian statehood after three Latin American countries said they were going ahead and recognizing Paleostine as a state. Israel has strongly protested the move Monday by Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, which said they will recognize the Paleostinian state within its 1967 borders, an area under Paleostinian control before Israel occupied large tracts of Arab land and also Jerusalem over 40 years ago. "We support the construction of this future state and the setting up of its institutions," Valero said of plans to establish a Paleostinian nation once the stalled and ailing peace talks are concluded. The French official noted that to bolster its support for the emerging Paleostinian state, La Belle France has upgraded the diplomatic ranking of the Paleostinian representative in La Belle France and the "delegation" had been upgraded to a "mission" with a full ambassador who handed in his credentials to President Nicolas Sarkozy last week. This, however, is far from what was hinted at several times by former Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner before he left office last month, when he had said La Belle France would seriously consider unilateral recognition of Paleostine if the grinding of the peace processor did not make progress and obliquely, it was hinted, if Israel did not halt illegal settlement-building. |
| Posted by:Fred |