Bethlehem – Ma’an – “This is the right time” to seek Security Council recognition of a Palestinian state, Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said in response to comments made by EU officials calling the move "premature."

Earlier Tuesday Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters in Brussels ahead of a Foreign Ministers meeting that he "would hope that we would be in a position to recognize a Palestinian state but there has to be one first, so I think it is somewhat premature."

Erekat responded almost immediately through an interview with Agence France Presse (AFP) from Cairo, saying “it is time to recognize a Palestinian state on the borders of 4 June 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital.” Arguing the case, Erekat argued that the EU recognized the State of Kosovo before other official channels supported its claim for independence.

Sweden is not alone in determining EU policy, Erekat then quipped, noting other EU countries support the Palestinian decision and adding that as of yet, the EU does not have a common foreign policy.

On Sunday, Erekat announced that members of the Palestinian Authority would seek recognition as a state from the UN Security Council.