British opposition leader Miliband says would recognize Palestinian statehood at right moment

Ahead of British elections on May 7, UK's Labor party leader says he would favor recognition if move would help bring broader peace deal in the Mideast.

By REUTERS
Ed Miliband (photo credit: REUTERS)
Ed Miliband
(photo credit: REUTERS)
LONDON - The leader of Britain's opposition Labor Party said on Friday he favored recognizing "Palestine" as a state if such a move would help bring about a broader peace deal in the Middle East.
Ed Miliband was asked by a reporter if Britain would recognize an independent Palestinian state in the first year or two of his premiership, if Labor wins national elections on May 7.
Miliband said Labor backed a symbolic vote held last year in Britain's parliament in favor of recognizing Palestine.
"What we said at the time of that vote was that it was a vote about the principle of recognition. And clearly a decision about when recognition would take place was dependent on how it would constructively help negotiations."
"I am not going to get into, today, speculation about when that would precisely be. That is a judgement we would have to take at the time," he said.
Ireland, France and Italy have also held parliamentary votes on the status of Palestine in recent months. Sweden has gone further by officially recognizing Palestine.
Miliband, who is Jewish, visited Israel last April in one of his first major foreign trips since he became opposition leader in 2010.