Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno made the announcement and stressed that for the Chilean government it is imperative to reinvigorate the peace process in the Middle East. He also noted that Chilean President Sebastián Piñera will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories in March.
The Chilean government has recognized Palestine as a “full, free and sovereign state,” Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno has announced.
“Chile has adopted the resolution today recognizing the existence of the State of Palestine as a free, independent, and sovereign state,” Moreno said, reading a declaration at the Foreign Ministry.
The Minister added that Chile supports and considers it “imperative” to reinvigorate the process of negotiations between Palestine and Israel, with the support of the international community, in order to reach a peace agreement that is “complete, definitive, and satisfactory.” “We are interested in supporting the process of negotiation within the framework of the resolutions that have been adopted by the United Nations,” he said.
He also noted that Chilean president Sebastán Piñera will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories on March 4 and 5.
“The reason for this trip is simply to show his support for negotiations that will lead in the shortest possible period to an agreement between the two states, and also to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between Chile and the States of Israel and Palestine,” the Minister specified.
Chile has thus joined other Latin American countries that in recent weeks have offered similar recognitions, including Argentina and Brazil. Uruguay has already announced that it will do the same this month.
Tuesday the Chilean Senate had unanimously approved a measure calling upon the government to recognize the existence of the State of Palestine.
The text of the measure noted that in 1967, the Security Council of the United Nations had adopted a resolution which had affirmed the existence of these two states, “and the termination of all claims or states of belligerency, and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace.”
The ambassador of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in Chile, Mai Al Kaila, had said earlier in an interview with Nación.cl that the conversation he had had with Foreign Minister Moreno concerning recognition had been “very positive,” and added that the PNA would raise the subject at the Security Council.
“The votes of countries that have supported us are already sufficient. This is going to be raised at the heart of the international community represented by the United Nations. The obtaining of recognition guarantees additional votes for our cause.”
For the ambassador, the recognitions represent a clear manner of moving from conversations to concrete peace in the Middle East.
Nevertheless, both Israel and its principal ally, the United States, consider that these recognitions could complicate even further the direct peace discussions, which are currently frozen.
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