Belgian FM Affirms Determination To Recognize State Of Palestine

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, Sept 22 (KUNA) -- Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot affirmed on Monday that his country was moving forward on the path toward recognizing the State of Palestine.
This step will take place "in two stages," she said in a statement ahead of leaving alongside Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to New York to attend the 80th UN General Assembly session.
Political recognition of Palestine represents "a strong diplomatic signal from now, given the challenges and Israel's positions," while the stage of "legal formalization through a royal decree" will follow later, Prevot explained.
He added that the most important thing at present is to send "a strong message on the international stage" reflecting the symbolic significance of this step, alongside practical measures that include imposing sanctions on the Israeli occupation government and sending urgent humanitarian aid.
He noted that the public debate in Belgium has focused on the question of recognizing Palestine, "which is natural and important," but stressed that "the top priority today is responding to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza."
He pointed out that sanctions against the Israeli occupation government represent a necessary tool to enable wide delivery of aid to the people of the Strip.
Prevot underlined that Belgium is "proud to join the countries taking an additional and official step today toward recognition, something that has not happened in decades in the country neither under the previous government nor the ones before it." (end)
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