President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Saturday, Palestinian ambassador to Egypt and the Arab League Barakat Al-Farra announced.
Al-Farra told reporters in Cairo on Tuesday that Abbas would arrive in Cairo Friday evening, and hold a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart on Saturday. Abbas and Mubarak will discuss US Middle East envoy George Mitchell's suggestions over the possible resumption of peace talks, he said.
The visit follows Abbas' trip to Europe, where he spent time in Britain, Germany and Russia rallying support for the Palestinian stance on demands for a settlement freeze before the resumption of peace talks. The trip was on the heels of a series of meetings with regional leaders by US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell, who failed to convince sides to resume talks. Preceding Mitchel's visit, Abbas made a tour of the Middle East to rally Arab support for a strong and unified stance on regional peace.
For the upcoming visit to Egypt, Al-Farra noted the country's continued support of Palestinian efforts to unify and seek a just peace in the region. Source: ma'an
