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Erjavec did not provide a clear answer to the question posed at a session of the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee of whether Slovenia will recognise Palestine or be "a laggard" yet again.

He said it would "keep a close eye on what is going on" and have a "proactive role" on the issue.

But he recalled how President Borut Pahor recently received the Palestinian diplomatic representative with full honours and according to the protocol reserved for the full-fledged ambassadors of foreign countries.

Overall, Erjavec's stance is that EU countries should reach a joint position on an issue as important as the recognition of the Palestinian state.

The Middle East was on the agenda at the last meeting of EU foreign ministers, where it was established that the peace process was hindered by Israel's continued construction of settlements on the West Bank, he said.

Slovenia's position is that this construction is in violation of international law, and a way for Israel to physically prevent the realisation of the two-state solution, which Erjavec said was "realistically speaking the only chance" for peace in the region.

The MPs also debated relations the US-Slovenia acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, which provides for mutual military logistics support, and endorsed the motion in a 11:1 vote.

Defence Ministry officials explained that the accord merely replaces the 2003 agreement, which is set to expire in 2015.