Israeli Diplomat
Postpones Meeting After
Costa Rica Recognizes
Palestinian State
The Associated Press
Israel has postponed a
planned meeting with
Costa Rican officials
over the Central
American nation’s
decision to formally
recognize a Palestinian
state.
The meeting between
President Oscar Arias
and an Israeli diplomat,
scheduled for Wednesday,
“was postponed, but we
are looking to
reschedule,” Costa Rican
Foreign Minister Bruno
Stagno said Monday.
Israeli Foreign Ministry
spokesman Arye Mekel
said Israel had summoned
the Costa Rican charge
d’affaires and
instructed its
ambassador to convey a
message to San Jose.
“We would like to
express our
disappointment over this
regretful decision of
the government of Costa
Rica to establish full
diplomatic relations
with the ’state of
Palestine,’” Mekel said.
“This act of Costa Rica
totally contradicts the
traditional friendship
that characterized its
relations with Israel
since its
establishment.”
Stagno has said Costa
Rica hoped to encourage
peace talks on Feb. 5
when it recognized a
Palestinian state — a
key demand on the part
of the Palestinians.
In August 2006, Arias’
administration announced
that Costa Rica would
move its embassy to Tel
Aviv from the hotly
disputed city of
Jerusalem.
Israel claims all of
Jerusalem as its
capital, but most
nations don’t formally
recognize that claim.
Post-1982 Costa Rica and
El Salvador had been the
only two countries with
embassies there until
announcing in the same
month that they would
relocate. |
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