Germany Will Not Support Palestinian Statehood Declaration

Monday April 25, 2011 17:37 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Despite ongoing diplomatic talks and efforts carried out by Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and his teams, Germany announced it will not be supporting the Palestinian intentions to declare statehood this coming September at the United Nations.

Abbas and Merkel - Arabs48

German paper, Der Spiegel, reported that German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, wants to pressure Abbas during his upcoming visit to Berlin, in order to try to convince him to cancel the plan.

Abbas intends to visit Berlin on May 5th as part of his tour that aims at gathering international support to statehood declaration.

Merkel said that her stance, and the stance of Germany, is that such a declaration is “hasty and bad”.

Her office refused to announce details on other main issues that would be discussed during the upcoming meeting.

Should Germany refuse to recognize a Palestinian State in September, it will be the second time Berlin takes stances that contradicts stances of EU countries, Der Spiegel reported.

Germany refused to be part of the operations and efforts that aim at removing Libyan President, Moammar Qaddafi from his post.

France, on the other hand, expressed full support to Palestinian statehood plans.

During his Thursday April 21st meeting with President Abbas at the Elysee Palace in Paris, French President, Nicolas Sarkozi, stated that his country supports the declaration of a Palestinian independent state in the 1967 borders.

Prior to the Abbas-Sarkozy meeting, French Foreign Ministry. said that the Palestinians “have never been better prepared to establish an independent state”, and run it peacefully, in a credible and viable manner, the China Daily Reported.

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