Doukas: "We must continue Andreas' path for Palestine"

The Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, referred to France's intention to recognize the Palestinian state in a post accompanied by a photo of Andreas Papandreou and Yasser Arafat from their meeting in Athens.

Mr. Doukas emphasized that France announced that in September it will recognize the Palestinian state, a move already made by 147 countries, including 14 European ones.

"We recall that Greece 44 years ago, a few days after PASOK's victory in the 1981 elections, upgraded the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Athens to an official diplomatic mission," he stated.

Additionally, he added: "A few months later, Andreas Papandreou welcomed Yasser Arafat to Faliro. Today we must continue the path that Andreas charted."

France announced that it will proceed with the recognition of a Palestinian state in September, a decision it had already announced months ago but postponed its implementation. This move is expected to be discussed with the leaders of Britain and Germany.

A French presidential official told CNN that other countries will also proceed with the recognition of Palestine. A few days ago, 28 Western countries signed a joint letter condemning the killings of Palestinians and the famine in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire.