by THALIF DEEN
With seven Latin American countries formally recognising Palestine as an independent state, there is one question floating in the corridors of the United Nations: will Asia and Africa follow suit?
“It is a decision to be made by individual countries in their respective capitals,” says one U.N. diplomat, who also ruled out any chances of a collective decision by regional or other power blocs such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) or African Union (AU).
But still, the Latin American initiative is expected to pick up steam within the region as other countries join the growing list.
The move was led by outgoing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva when he made the announcement to formally recognise Palestine back on Dec. 3.
The decision followed an appeal by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has remained frustrated over the intransigency of Israel and also the continued breakdown in peace talks in the Middle East.
Brazil was followed by six other Latin American countries – Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela.
According to diplomatic sources here, Peru and Paraguay are expected to follow in the footsteps of the seven.
Inter Press Services for more