Carter: Brazil can be a leader in the peace process

From Jerusalem Post: 

Former US president Jimmy Carter on Monday told Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo he is happy Brazil recognized Palestinian statehood, adding, "We cannot count on the United States alone to bring peace, since it agrees with almost everything Israel does," The Telegraph reported.

Carter explained the role he envisioned for Brazil, saying it "can help because it has a lot of influence among developing countries. Brazil can be one of the leaders in this process," according to the report.

Referring to Brazil's decision to recognize the "state of Palestine," Carter told Folha, "I am very happy to see that Brazil recognized the Palestinian state with the 1967 borders."

Following in Brazil’s footsteps earlier this month, Argentina announced it recognized a “free and independent” Palestinian state, sparking an immediate condemnation from Israel.

Argentina’s President Cristina Kirchner told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a letter that her country recognized a Palestine defined by 1967 borders, Argentine officials said.

The Argentine Foreign Ministry said in an e-mailed statement that the move was designed to help “definitively advance the negotiation process that will lead to the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Uruguay announced soon afterward that it would recognize a Palestinian state next year. “Uruguay will surely follow the same path as Argentina in 2011,” Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Conde told AFP.

Israel expressed “regret and disappointment” at Argentina’s decision to join Brazil in recognizing an independent Palestinian state.