Middle East

Abbas follows Washington meeting with two-days in Cairo

Article published on the 2009-05-29 Latest update 2009-05-29 15:45 TU

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the White House in Washington on Thursday
(Photo: Reuters)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt, Friday, for a two-day visit. Abbas is to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to report on his first Oval office talks with US president Barack Obama.

In Washington, the Palestinian President introduced a new peace deal for the Middle-East based upon the “road map for peace”. The “road map” aims to create a Palestinian state in the West Bank and was elaborated in 2003 by the quartet (United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations).

Abbas and Mubarak will also try to revive the 2002 Arab peace initiative which calls for the normalisation of relations between Israel and Palestine along with the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the West Bank.

On Thursday, Obama urged Israel to cease all settlement activities and allow for the creation of a free Palestinian state.

Following a Senate initiative, 330 US congressmen sent a letter to Obama, Friday, demanding that all efforts should be made to achieve peace in the Middle-East.

They recommend that both parties negotiate a peace treaty themselves, with the support of the international community and also encouraged the Palestinian authority to built viable institutions.