French Lawmakers Prepare Motion to Recognize Palestinian State

Local Editor

French Socialist lawmakers are preparing to submit a motion to parliament asking the government to recognize Palestine as a state, sources said on Tuesday, weeks after British MPs passed a similar vote.

"The [lower house National] Assembly asks the French government to use recognition of the state of Palestine as an instrument to obtain a final settlement of the conflict," reads the provisional motion.

A meeting on the lawmakers' proposal is due on Wednesday with Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Socialist senators who are also planning a similar initiative.

The lower house vote could take place within weeks, and while it is unlikely to change government policy immediately, it would be highly symbolic after a similar move by British MPs last month [October].

The British lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on October 13 in favor of a non-binding motion to "recognize the state of Palestine."

The vote, which "Israel" warned risked undermining prospects for so-called "peace", came after the Swedish government announced it would recognize a Palestinian state -- the first EU member in western Europe to do so.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team