RAMALLAH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Wednesday urged the European Union (EU) to recognize it as a state in an attempt to give a fresh impetus to peace efforts.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki sent letters to EU council officials, urging them to consider recognizing Palestine as a state ahead of their expected meeting on March 23 over Middle East peace, according to a ministry statement.
Maliki underlined the importance of an active European role in pushing for the two-state solution.
He appealed to the EU to press Israel to halts its "expansionist" policies in the occupied territories and work on stopping its annexation plans.
