Himalayan News Service

New Delhi, May 18:

Ahead of the two-day visit of Palestinian National Authority (PNA) president Mahmoud Abbas to India starting tomorrow, Palestinian ambassador to India Osama Musa sought India’s “increasing global influence” to push peace in the Middle East.

“India should use its increasing global clout to exert pressure on the international community to pressurize Israel to end the occupation of Palestine,” Osama Musa, ambassador of Palestine National Authority to India, said in an interview.

Peace in the Middle East and cementing trade and cultural relations between India and Palestine will be the focus of the official visit of Abbas who was named chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) after Yasser Arafat’s death in November last year. This is the first visit by a Palestinian leader after the death of Arafat, who had a personal chemistry with India’s top leadership including former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Meeting with Hu, Jiabao

BEIJING: Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas met China’s top leaders President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Wednesday, angling for financial assistance ahead of July elections in which he said radical Islamist movement Hamas could participate. — AFP