In 1988 The Maltese Government had expressly recognised this right, falling short however of recognising Palestine as a state.
However, Malta also believes that Israel has a right to security, Dr Borg said, and this is the fine balance that needs to be found.
Dr Borg was speaking ahead of an EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting to be held on Monday in an effort to find a common position which will bring Israel and Palestine closer to a solution.
This newspaper sought to clarify Malta’s position, after international reports began to surface, suggesting that Palestinians believe they will be able to secure support from 130 member states for recognition of an independent Palestinian state at the United Nations.
They found strong support within the EU and believe that Sweden, Spain, Malta, Belgium, Ireland and Luxembourg, and possibly France and the United Kingdom will vote in favour of the Resolution at the general assembly.
Dr Borg confirmed that Malta is in favour of the right of the Palestinian people to have a state to call their own. However, bearing this is mind, he said that Monday’s meeting is set to focus on finding a common position within the EU that satisfies both the aspirations of the Palestinian people, as well as the Israelis’ security worries.
It is understood that there is a loose draft circulating which the Palestinians have, in principle accepted, but Israel is stalling. Asked why the Palestinians believe that they have Malta’s support on this particular bid for statehood, Dr Borg explained the nuances of diplomacy. “Malta, unlike most other nations, has accorded full diplomatic recognition to the Palestinian ambassador. On the diplomatic front, he is recognised as the representative of the Palestinian administration,” he said.
He continued: “As I said earlier, Malta recognises the principle of the Palestinian people’s right to a state of their own, but in view of their September effort, the Palestinians are interpreting this as meaning that Malta approves this bid.”
Dr Borg stopped short of announcing formal support for the September bid, adding that he was sure that a common position would be reached by the EU Council of Foreign Ministers.
The US position
The Palestinians insist on continuing with the move, despite strong American opposition. On his visit to Washington last week PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat was rebuffed when he tried to present the Palestinian appeal to the UN.
Meanwhile, the intensive US efforts to create an agreed outline for renewed negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have failed, Israeli and Palestinian sources told Haaretz newspaper.
An Israeli source who was close to talks held by the US administration with both Israeli and Palestinian officials told Haaretz the Americans were unable to find a formula that both parties could accept and take to the negotiating table. He said the Americans were working on a formula that would combine President Barak Obama’s speech at the State Department on 19 May and his speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on 22 May.
Such a formula would offer the Palestinians the 1967 border with territorial exchanges while promising Israeli recognition of Israel as the national home of the Jewish people.
Both parties raised numerous objections to Washington’s proposal, leading the administration to conclude that neither was ready to resume talks. The Americans therefore decided to settle for a generic Quartet statement containing only a single bit of real news - announcing the dispatch of a team of senior diplomats to hold another round of talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah and report back to Obama personally.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he was ready to resume peace talks “tomorrow,” and blamed the Palestinians for the impasse in negotiations. He made the remarks during a meeting with Greek President Karolos Papoulias, who was visiting Jerusalem.
The foreign ministers of the Quartet met Monday night in Washington. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met separately with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Quartet envoy Tony Blair, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Meanwhile, more than 100 members of the European Parliament are urging the EU and its member states to discourage the Palestinians from seeking UN recognition.
In a letter to Ashton, parliamentarians from conservatives to liberals to socialists argued that issues between Palestinians and Israelis can be solved only by negotiations, not a declaration of independence.
“It is precisely because we believe in the justness of the Palestinian cause that we urge them to refrain from seeking UN recognition of a unilaterally declared state, a counterproductive step we fear could set back the chances for peace,” said the letter, signed by 106 members of the European Parliament.