Putin, Abbas to meet on Friday: official
27/4/2005 17:08
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will meet visiting Russian President
Vladimir Putin on Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian Foreign
Minister Nasser al Qedwa said Wednesday.
Terming Putin's visit as
"important", Qedwa said Abbas will discuss with Putin coordinations between the
two sides to push forward the stalled Mideast peace process.
"We will raise
the issue of the implementation of the road map peace plan and we will urge
Russia to consider the planned Israeli withdrawal as part of it," said al
Qedwa.
It is Putin's first official visit to the Palestinian territories,
part of his Mideast tour which he kicked off on Tuesday, with other legs
including Egypt and Israel.
"We will also ask President Putin to help the
Palestinian side to end Israel's unilateral actions and attempts to impose new
realities on the ground by building separation wall and expanding settlements,"
said al Qedwa.
Abbas, who is now in Gaza for security reforms, will leave for
Ramallah Thursday to prepare for the meeting with Putin, official sources at
Abbas office said.
Xinhua
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