Abbas in El Salvador to pitch UN recognition

EL SALVADOR, Oct 9 (AP): Mahmud Abbas, the president of the Palestine Authority, arrived in El Salvador on the latest stop of a Latin American tour to round up support for UN recognition of a Palestinian state. Abbas, who arrived from the Dominican Republic Saturday, was to meet with the local Palestinian community later in the day ahead of a meeting Sunday with Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes. Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez said Abbas wanted to personally thank Funes for El Salvador's recognition of a Palestinian state, and that they would discuss the Palestinian bid for UN recognition. While El Salvador recognised Palestine as a "free, sovereign and independent state on August 25, it has not yet said what position it would take at the United Nations. "Before staking out any position, we want to listen to President Abbas's point of view," said Martinez. After his meeting with Funes, Abbas travels to Bogota for talks with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, who has already said Colombia would abstain in a UN Security Council vote on recognition.