Palestinian FM: Chile, Paraguay to Recognize Independent Palestine in Weeks

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki said that in the coming weeks, Chile and Paraguay will declare their recognition of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, "Israel" Radio reported on Sunday.

Al Maliki said that Chile plans on making its declaration in the coming weeks, and that Chile's president Sebastian Pinera is even due to visit the West Bank in three months.

Paraguay is also expected to declare its recognition of Palestine in the coming weeks. Al Maliki also announced the opening of a Palestinian embassy in Ecuador, which already declared its recognition of a Palestinian state. 

Last week, Ecuador became the fifth Latin American country to recognize a Palestinian state, following its neighboring countries Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay earlier this month.
Al Maliki said that the two countries would formally recognize Palestinian Independence in March 2011. 

Palestinians have been seeking international recognition of a state at a time when talks on a long-term peace settlement with Israel are deadlocked.