Several Euro nations to vote for recognition of Palestinian state,...

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Spain's foreign minister says Spain will vote in favor of recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly this week.

Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo told parliament Wednesday that Spain would support the Palestinian bid at the UN because it feels it is the best way to advance toward peace.

France on Tuesday became the first major European country to come out in favor of UN recognition, a move seen as a setback for Israel.

For its part, Switzerland said that it will vote in favor of the Palestinian bid for enhanced status at the United Nations, echoing similar announcements by other nations.

The Palestinian draft resolution to be voted on at the UN General Assembly on Thursday was "both constructive and pragmatic", the Federal Council said in a statement.

The assembly is expected to vote Thursday on a resolution raising their status at the United Nations from an observer to a nonmember observer state, a move they believe is an important step toward a two-state solution with Israel.

In turn, Norway announced that it will vote in favor of the draft resolution. “The resolution is balanced and constructive,” the Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said, adding that the decision of his country is based on the need to give a new push to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which have been suspended for over 2 years and to strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

For its part, Britain said it would support a Palestinian bid for a diplomatic upgrade at the United Nations if it received assurances that the Palestinians would return to peace talks and would not seek to prosecute Israelis through the International Criminal Court.

"Up until the time of the vote itself we will remain open to voting in favour of the resolution if we see public assurances by the Palestinians," Foreign Secretary William Hague told parliament on Wednesday.

Acceptance of the Palestinians as a non-member state, similar to the Vatican's U.N. status, would implicitly recognize Palestinian statehood.

Meanwhile Germany announced that it will not back a Palestinian bid for a diplomatic upgrade at the United Nations, the government spokesman said on Wednesday.

"We are assessing the situation and want as much agreement as possible with our European partners... But it is certain that Germany will not vote for such a resolution," spokesman Steffen Seibert told a news conference.

AP/LBCI