Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a meeting with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah, December 18, 2014.[/caption]Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the parliaments of all world countries to recognize Palestine as an independent state after the European Parliament (EP) voted in favor of such a move.
The Palestinian leader said the negotiations over the draft resolution they submitted to the UN Security Council on Wednesday should not take more than a year.
Abbas added that Palestinians are open to further talks on possible changes to the proposed resolution.
We will continue in our consultations with the brothers and friends through deliberations, which will take place at the United Nations, he added.
The Arab-backed draft initially set a deadline of November 2016 for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories, but France pushed for a softer resolution.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament unanimously voted in favor of a motion to unconditionally recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.
The recognition vote follows similar votes by some European countries' legislatures including those of France, Britain, Spain and Portugal that call on their respective governments to recognize Palestinian statehood.
The Palestinians want the borders of the future state of Palestine to be based on the pre-1967 lines. In 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank, East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. However, Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and has put it under siege since 2007.
By Press TV
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