Santiago de Chile, August 18 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Chilean President Michelle Bachelet  met with the new secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saeb Erekat, Monday, a few days after Erekat met with Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez.

Erekat arrived on Friday in Chile — which has the world’s largest Palestinian community outside of the Middle East — as part of a South America visit.

The Palestinian leader is on the last leg of a four-day tour of the country, where he has met with Chilean government officials, community leaders and members of the academic community.
  
Before arriving in Chile, Erekat traveled to Argentina, where he met with Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez.  In December 2010, Argentina recognized the Palestinian territories as an independent state, based on the borders of 1967.

Argentina's decision followed a similar move by Chile. With the two South American heavyweights throwing their support behind an independent Palestinian state, a succession of other countries in the region soon followed suit.