SANTIAGO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The top US diplomat to Latin America said on Wednesday that Chile helped the Middle East peace process by leaving out a mention of historic borders in its recognition of a Palestinian state.

These negotiations are quite complex, so it substantially helps the process to avoid conditioning too much what you say, said Arturo Valenzuela, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere.

Chile said on Friday it recognized a Palestinian state, joining an endorsement by Latin American peers the United States had called premature and Israel has warned is harmful to the Middle East peace process.

Brazil became the first of several South American countries in recent weeks to recognize a Palestine state along pre-1967 borders. Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Ecuador have done the same, but Chile declined to mention particular borders in its endorsement.

Israel disputes the Palestinian claim on all the West Bank and East Jerusalem, land it captured from Jordan in a 1967 war and has since extensively settled. (Reporting by Brad Haynes; Editing by Xavier Briand)