BICOM

According to reports, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday during a visit to Tunisia that Britain and France were likely to join the list of countries recognising a Palestinian state. Abbas said that Western European countries, like Britain and France, were likely to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state. Abbas will travel to France on Wednesday for meetings with President Nicolas Sarkozy and next month will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “More than 130 countries have already recognised a Palestinian state on 1967 borders. This number has the potential to reach 140 or 150,” Abbas said during his visit to Tunisia.

In an interview with Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam, Abbas said that the Palestinian Authority aims to fulfil the vision of US President Barack Obama, by establishing a Palestinian state by September, as it was planned according to the Quartet’s goals for the Middle East peace process. In related news, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that European and US diplomats warned that if peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are not renewed, the Quartet may recognise a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, yesterday the US rejected Palestinian plans to declare a unilateral state and its efforts to ask the UN Security Council to recognise a state. “We don’t believe it’s a good idea, we don’t believe it’s helpful. We continue to press both sides to begin talking again in direct negotiations,” US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said.