RAMALLAH, June 14, 2011 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Tuesday the Palestinian Authority is not interested in only getting recognition in September, something it already had done in 1988, rather it seeks a genuine and fully sovereign Palestinian state.

Fayyad made this statement after meeting German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle at his office in Ramallah.

“We are looking for a genuine state of Palestine, one that is fully sovereign on all territories occupied in 1967, which includes the West Bank. Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem,” he said in reference to efforts to get United Nations recognition and full membership of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

However, Westerwelle expressed belief that these efforts were unilateral and counter-productive.

“The German government thinks unilateral steps could be counter-productive,” he said.

“We think negotiations should be the right way,” said Westerwelle. “Come back to dialogue is our advice to all parties and this is the way how we try to support in a very difficult time in a complicated situation the peace process,” he said.

The German official said his country “supports the two-state solution. It means we support the Palestinian people to build their own and independent Palestinian state.”

He said that “the two-state solution is the best guarantee to all parties to live in peace and security.”

Westerwelle said he discussed with Fayyad “practical steps how to support the Palestinian people to build Palestinian state. We will continue this engagement.”

Fayyad, who thanked Germany for its political and financial support, which amounted to over $1.1 billion so far, praised the European Union platforms on the Middle East conflict “in term of being explicit on the terms of reference for the peace process regarding the definition of the territories occupied in 1967 and on Jerusalem.”

“That should move from being an EU platform to an international platform for dealing with these issues,” he said.

Fayyad said that he hopes Fatah and Hamas, who are holding talks in Cairo, will agree this week on the formation of the new Palestinian government.

“This week should not pass without concrete steps to put the government together,” he said.

Westerwelle said that while Germany is “not in a position to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries,” it nevertheless believes that its work so far with Fayyad was very successful, expressing hope it will continue in the future.

“We work with Prime Minister Fayyad and we would like to work with him in the future as well because this work is successful,” he said.

M.A.