FRANCE MULLS RECOGNIZING A PALESTINIAN STATE

Paris, 13 Muharram 1435/6 November 2014 (MINA) – France’s ruling Socialist Party is preparing to submit a motion calling for recognizing a Palestinian state to push forward efforts to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, parliamentary sources revealed.

The sources said Tuesday that French Socialist lawmakers are preparing to submit a motion to the parliament to officially recognize Palestine. The vote is expected to take place within two weeks, Palestine Information Center (PIC), quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Wednesday.

“The (lower house National) Assembly asks the French government to use recognition of the state of Palestine as an instrument to obtain a final settlement of the conflict,” reads the provisional motion.

France’s foreign minister Laurent Fabius said earlier last month that Paris should recognize a Palestinian state only if doing so would help achieve peace, not as a symbolic gesture.

However, if negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel fail, Paris “would not shirk its responsibilities” but would recognize the Palestinian state, Fabius said in answer to a question in parliament.

“From the moment when we say that there are two states, there will be recognition of a Palestinian state. That goes without saying, it’s logical,” the minister said.

The planned move follows the collapse of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and this year’s war on Gaza in which more than 2,000 Palestinians were killed.

The step came weeks after British MPs passed a similar motion.(T/P008/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)