Montevideo has joined a number of neighboring countries in recognizing a yet-to-be-established Palestinian state. A statement by the Foreign Ministry said that Uruguay had communicated its decision to the Palestinian Authority. The news agency 'Reuters' quoted an unnamed ministry source that the recognition would not mention specifying borders between Israel and the Palestinian state in order "to avoid interfering in an issue that would require a bilateral agreement."
More than a half-dozen countries in South America have recognized a State of Palestine recently, though in different ways. While Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay recognized the borders that existed prior to the 1967 Six Day War, Chile and Peru said the issue of borders had to be worked out between Israelis and Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Alain Juppé, France’s new foreign minister, was quoted by the news agency AFP as saying that "there is no point recognizing the Palestinian state on our own,” but only in the framework of the European Union. He added, however, that EU recognition of a Palestinian state could be a "possibility that should be kept in mind." He added: “Personally I think we're not there yet.”
On Monday, Britain's Foreign Office said it would upgrade the status of the Palestinian representation in London. However, in an address to Parliament, Foreign Secretary William Hague cited "the extent of our aid to the Palestinian Authority and our work with them" as the reason. In recent months, France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, the United States and other countries have announced similar upgrades to diplomatic delegations of the Palestinian Authority.
