Denmark upgrades Palestinian diplomatic status
Palestinian delegation to be upgraded from 'Palestinian general representation' to 'Palestinian mission' says Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen but no recognition of Palestinian state planned – yet
Denmark will upgrade the status of the Palestinian delegation in Copenhagen to the level of a mission in line with a number of other EU countries, Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said Wednesday.
"I'm pleased to announce our government's decision to upgrade the status of the Palestinian representation in Denmark," Rasmussen told reporters at a joint news conference with visiting Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
The Danish foreign ministry elaborated that the Palestinian delegation would be upgraded from the level of "Palestinian general representation" to "the Palestinian mission to Denmark."
Abbas, on his first official visit to Denmark, said the move reflected "the deep commitment between the two countries."
"Let me also express my deepest gratitude for your government's decision to upgrade the Palestinian representation to a mission," he said.
Britain on Monday made the same move, following in the footsteps of fellow European Union members France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.
Norway, which is not a member of the EU, had in December also upgraded the Palestinian delegation to mission and handed its chief the title of head of mission and the rank of ambassador.
The Danish foreign ministry meanwhile said it was not considering recognizing the Palestinian state, as many Latin American countries have done recently.
"With regards to formal recognition, the European Union has said many times it would take the step at an appropriate time, on the basis of the contribution the recognition would bring to (peace) negotiations and to the two-state solution," the statement said.
Israel has come under increasing pressure in recent months over stalled direct peace talks, which grounded to a halt shortly after being re-launched by Washington in September 2010 over the issue of settlement construction in the Palestinian territories.
The stalemate and Israel's continued settlement construction have angered many in the international community, resulting in near universal support for the Security Council's anti-settlement resolution.
Representatives from the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia are set to meet in Paris at the end of March in an attempt to re-launch the peace process.
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