Spain Grants Status to PLO
Spain granted the Palestine Liberation Organization official representation today, giving it near embassy rank, authorities said.
In announcing the move, which follows Spain’s recognition of Israel on Jan. 17, the Foreign Ministry said the Spanish government wished to “confirm its traditional policy of friendship and solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
The new status of the PLO allows representatives such embassy-level rights as police protection and the use of diplomatic pouches but does not give them diplomatic immunity, a ministry spokesman said.
The PLO opened offices in Madrid in 1972 and has a staff of 10 at its downtown headquarters, but it was not officially recognized then by the Spanish government.
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