France to back Palestinian UN bid

France made the announcement Tuesday, boosting Palestinian efforts to secure greater international recognition.

"This Thursday or Friday, when the question is asked, France will vote yes," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced in the French National Assembly, the lower house of parliament.

Palestinians have launched a watered-down bid for recognition as a non-member state after its full membership status was thwarted by US opposition in the UN Security Council last year. The non-member state status would be similar to the position of Vatican City.

The proposal, which is due to be put to a General Assembly vote at the end of the week, would wholly recognize Palestinian statehood. It could also grant access to bodies such as the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where Palestinians could file complaints against Israel.

The United States says Palestinian statehood must be achieved by negotiation and has called on Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, to return to peace talks with Israel that collapsed in 2010.

"It is only with negotiations between the two sides that we demand immediately without any preconditions that a Palestinian state can become a reality," France's Fabius said.

France, a member of the UN Security Council, had under former President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to support Abbas if he opted for the upgrade option.

Last year, France voted in favor of Palestine becoming a member of UN agency UNESCO. French President Francois Hollande had also promised during campaigning to support recognition of a Palestinian state.

hc/dr (Reuters, dpa)