Colombia supports a proposal by the U.S., the U.N., the European Union and Russia to renew peace talks between Israel and Palestinians President Juan Manuel Santos said Monday.
“We recognize the Palestinians’ right to a state. We want a Palestinian state. But this must be the result of a peace deal and not one that is imposed,” Santos said during a visit to his country’s second largest city Medellin.
The Colombian President said he stood behind the proposal by the so-called Quartet to “propose a time frame for the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate, under strict terms, and will demand strict compliance to these terms.”
The Quartet’s proposal followed the Palestinians’ last week bid to acquire a seat in the United Nations and the recognition as state by the international community.
Colombia, a traditional ally of Israel and the U.S., abstained from voting on the proposal, asserting that bilateral diplomacy is the “only road” to lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.
The U.N. Security Council, of which Colombia is a temporary member, met behind closed doors on Monday for a preliminary discussion of the Palestinian application for full U.N. membership.