Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas urged European Union nations on Friday to separately or collectively recognize the state of Palestine, during a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
Abbas affirmed “that the Palestinian position was to resume the peace process" with Israel, expecting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept to talk of two states and to halt Jewish settlements, especially in Jerusalem, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said.
"We are calling on the European Union to help us on the question of moving the United Nations to accept Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders," Erakat was quoted as saying by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
He said that six EU countries have already recognized the Palestinian state.
“We have Palestinian embassies in these countries,” Erekat said. “We are hoping that the remaining 21 countries would recognize the independent Palestinian state so as to solidify and preserve the two-state solution.”
According to Erekat, Ashton’s reply was that the EU’s top priority remained the resumption of the peace process. She also said that the PA demand would be discussed “inside the corridors of the EU.”
The Palestinians did not hear from Ashton that she’s opposed to the UN move, Erekat added. “But we also didn’t hear from her that she supports the step. At least the dialogue remains open on this matter.”
Ashton arrived in Israel on Thursday and met Friday with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who during the meeting threatened that Israel will renounce past agreements, including the Oslo accords, with the Palestinians if they continue their unilateral pursuit of statehood recognition at the United Nations in September.
She later met Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and president Abbas in the West Bank.
She was due to hold talks with Netanyahu on Sunday before travelling to Luxembourg for a meeting with the EU Foreign Ministers where she is due to report on her Mideast trip.