El Salvador said Thursday it would recognise Palestine as an independent state in a move aimed at helping to advance the Middle East peace process. "We would like to formally recognise Palestine as a free, sovereign and independent state," President Mauricio Funes said in a ceremony at the presidential palace.
"This decision comes in the context of the profound respect that El Salvador has for the decisions of United Nations member states, most of which have expressed their recognition of the existence of a Palestinian state." Funes said the decision also stemmed from the fact that the UN Charter defends the "right of self-determination of peoples."