Spain has expressed lukewarm support for the Palestinian Authority bid for United Nations recognition as an independent sovereign state.
Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez met for talks on the issue with PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Madrid this week, along with King Juan Carlos.
“The minister expressed the desire to continue the work which has been carried out over the past years to strengthen ties and support efforts by the Palestinian National Authority to build a future Palestinian state,”said the foreign ministry in a statement to the media.
But Madrid added that it would determine its future position on the issue “based on the proposals that arise, in a constructive spirit.”
Abbas traveled today (Thursday July 21) to Turkey after a final meeting Wednesday with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
The PA chairman also met Wednesday with the new head of the Union for the Mediterranean, Morocco's Youssef Amrani, at a gathering in Barcelona.