http://www.maannews.net
09/10/2011

Abbas in El Salvador to pitch UN recognition

SAN SALVADOR (AFP) -- President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in El Salvador on the latest stop of a Latin American tour to round up support for UN recognition of a Palestinian state.

Abbas, who arrived from the Dominican Republic on Saturday, was to meet with the local Palestinian community later in the day ahead of a meeting Sunday with Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes.

Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez said Abbas wanted to personally thank Funes for El Salvador's recognition of a Palestinian state, and that they would discuss the Palestinian bid for UN recognition.

While El Salvador recognized Palestine as a "free, sovereign and independent state on August 25, it has not yet said what position it would take at the United Nations.

"Before staking out any position, we want to listen to President Abbas's point of view," said Martinez.

After his meeting with Funes, Abbas travels to Bogota for talks with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, who has already said Colombia would abstain in a UN Security Council vote on recognition.

Colombia, which has a seat on the UN Security Council, has argued that recognition of a Palestinian state should come through negotiations with Israel.

The Palestinian move for recognition is strongly opposed by both Israel and the United States, which say a Palestinian state can only emerge through bilateral negotiations.

Six Security Council members -- Brazil, China, India, Lebanon, Russia and South Africa -- have publicly indicated their backing for the Palestinian bid.

The Palestinian community in El Salvador is estimated at around 70,000 people, most of whom are Christian.

The former President of El Salvador, Antonio Saca, was of Palestinian descent.

He was in office between 2004-2009, having won an election campaign against opposition candidate Schafik Handal, also of Palestinian descent.

BADIL resource center estimates that 70 percent of the worldwide Palestinian population of 9.8 million people are refugees.

The Palestinian diaspora is spread across the world, with significant population centers in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Chile, Egypt, Europe and the United States.