RAMALLAH - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit several European countries to gather support for a UN vote on an independent Palestinian state, a Palestinian official said Saturday. Abbas' tour, which will start on Sunday, will include visits to Norway, Spain and Turkey, said Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian peace negotiator.

Abbas will ask Norway and Spain to support the Palestinians when they ask the United Nations to vote on the Palestinian state in September. In Turkey, Abbas will chair a meeting for Palestinian ambassadors to discuss the efforts to secure support.

The Palestinians say their state will be established on the lands Israel occupied in 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinians took this decision after peace talks broke down last year. Israel and the United States oppose the Palestinian move as a unilateral step, saying the recognition of the Palestinian state should be the result of a negotiated agreement. Earlier this week, Arab states supported the Palestinians to go to the UN. (Xinhua)