Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel has hit out at
Sweden's newly elected prime minister Stefan Loefven over his decision to
recognise a Palestinian state.
"Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman said that he regrets that the new prime minister was in a hurry to
make statements on Sweden's position regarding recognition of a Palestinian
state, apparently before he had time even to study the issue in depth,"
Lieberman's office quoted him as saying, in a statement issued late Saturday.
It added that Sweden's ambassador to
Israel, Carl Magnus Nesser, "will be invited for a talk at the foreign
ministry in Jerusalem," but did not say when.
"Prime Minister Loefven needs to
understand that no statement or act by an external party can be a substitute
for direct negotiations between the sides," the statement said.
Social Democrat leader Loefven -- who
won last month's general election -- said on Friday his country wanted to
bolster a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"A two-state solution requires
mutual recognition and the will to co-exist peacefully," Loefven said in
his inaugural address to parliament.
This should take place with respect for
the "legitimate demands of the Palestinians and the Israelis as regards
their right to self-determination and security", he added.
Sweden voted in favour of Palestinian
observer status at the United Nations in 2012, which was granted despite
opposition from the United States and other countries.
Seven EU members in eastern European
and the Mediterranean have already recognised a Palestinian state, namely
Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Romania.
Non-EU member Iceland is the only other
western European nation to have done so.
Loefven's statement was warmly welcomed
by the Palestinians but the United States, Israel's ally, said it was a step
too soon.
"We believe international
recognition of a Palestinian state is premature," said State Department
spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
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