Guyana has formally recognized Palestine as a free, independent, and sovereign state, based on its 1967 borders, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The ministry said that the decision is in keeping with Guyana’s longstanding and unwavering solidarity with and commitment to the just and legitimate aspirations of the people of Palestine for the exercise their right to self determination and to achieve a homeland of their own, independent, free, prosperous and at peace.
The Ministry’s statement was issued after Stabroek News contacted Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues to ascertain what this country’s position was with respect to Palestine’s long fight for recognition in the international community.
Minister Rodrigues initially commented that Guyana has always supported the Palestinian people’s right to sovereignty, but pointed out that she would offer additional comments later in the day. Rodrigues later made contact to say that she had prepared a statement and was sending it to the newspaper; the statement was subsequently released to the local press.
In its statement, the ministry said that its formal recognition of Palestine follows Guyana’s advocacy over the years a for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the people of Israel and Palestine living side by side in their free and independent countries in peace, prosperity and harmony and within secure and internationally recognised borders.
“It is Guyana’s hope that the increasing recognition of the State of Palestine will contribute to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the creation of lasting peace and stability in the region,” the statement added.
Stabroek News also spoke with People’s National Congress Reform One Guyana MP, Aubrey Norton yesterday who observed that Guyana, “since the days of the PNC-led government” had believed that Palestine has a just cause, and that Palestinians have an inalienable right to sovereignty.
Norton said that Palestine has met three of the critical conditions for an independent state, namely that it has a population; a government and a territory. “What they are still fighting for today is land, but they have met the requirements to be sovereign”, he noted.
Norton argued that the people of Palestine have rights which ought to be respected at the level of the international community. He said that the claims that increasing international recognition of Palestine will stymie the negotiation process are “false since Palestine being a state can in no way hinder this process”.
“I don’t see what the problem is if Palestine is recognized because Israel has already a state, why not Palestine?” Norton questioned.
But Norton said that while the international community seems to be focused on the Middle East and the Palestine/Israel conflict, there are other hot-button issues that demand attention, particularly in Africa. He said that the Guyana Government would do well to pay attention to the African continent and recognize that the rights of many African citizens are being violated, and that countries are being crippled due to conflicts.
“There are a host of problems in African which has hurt the development of the continent and this government as well as others who seemed to be focused on the Middle East ought to start paying attention there and offer Africa the assistance it needs”, Norton asserted.
Prior to Guyana’s formal recognition of Palestine as an independent state, Suriname was identified as the most recent country to offer recognition to Palestine.
Late last year, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador recognized Palestine as an independent state which they said was “within the 1967 borders.” Those were the boundaries that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in the June 1967 Six-Day War.
The Chilean government adopted a resolution “recognizing the existence of the state of Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state”, on Friday last. Uruguay, another South American state, has since indicated that its recognition could come this year.
Palestine is hoping to apply for United Nations membership in 2011 so that it could raise its flag as the 193rd Member State. Palestinian leaders have called on governments that had not yet done so to recognize the State of Palestine while pressing the Security Council to give Palestine its “birth certificate”.
The borders of a final Palestinian state have been one of the thorny issues in peace negotiations with Israel, and direct talks between the two sides, the first for nearly two years, began in September last year but stalled shortly after.
