Icelandic foreign minister Ossur Skarphedinsson has told his Palestinian colleagues at their meeting this week in Ramallah that the Icelandic government is enthusiastic to support Palestinian independence, should the proposed motion be put before the United Nations this autumn.

Skarphedinsson and Riad al-Maliki, Palestinian home rule foreign minister, made a joint treaty declaration on political understanding and co-operation; including in economic matters. The Icelandic minister also handed over a declaration stating that the office of Palestinian representative would be converted into a formal mission and the office manager would become Palestinian ambassador to the Icelandic government.

“I told him that if it came to be at the United Nations General Assembly in September that a motion would be put forward by the nations supporting Palestinian independence and encouraging other nations to recognise Palestine as an independent nation with its 1967 borders, Iceland would support that,” Skarphedinsson told RUV. “Likewise, if a proposition comes to the UN to include Palestine into the UN as a new nation, as President Obama said he wanted a year ago, Iceland would also support that.”