"I proposed today to broach the issue at government level as well, first at a closed-door session, but the government will definitely launch intensive consultations on the matter as early as this week," Cerar said after a round-table debate hosted by the web portal Tax-Fin-Lex.

The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee will debate an initiative to recognise Palestine as an independent country on Friday at the proposal of the opposition United Left (ZL).

Comments by party officials indicate that MPs are in favour of recognising Palestine in principle, but major parties in particular have underscored the need for unity on the matter.

The SMC party of PM Miro Cerar has been talking of the need for unity at the national level, while the biggest opposition faction, the Democrats (SDS), called for consensus at the level of the EU and NATO.

However, unity on the matter within the EU is not expected any time soon. The European Parliament on Monday postponed the vote on a resolution to recognise Palestine until December.

The issue became topical after Sweden recognised Palestine as the first country from western Europe. Palestine had also been recognised by the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria before they joined the EU.

The Spanish parliament has recently voted nearly unanimously in favour of a resolution calling on the government to recognise Palestine, after a similar move by the British parliament.

Palestine has so far been recognised by more than 130 countries.