Middle East News
Abbas asks Chirac's help to restart Mideast peace process
Feb 24, 2007, 12:43 GMT
Paris - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday asked French President Jacques Chirac for help in reviving the moribund Mideast peace process.
Abbas, who is on a tour of European capitals, met with Chirac at the Elysee Palace and told him, 'We will deal with the future of peace negotiations, and we hope for your support and backing.'
For his part, Chirac said it was now up to various parties to ensure the Mecca agreement concluded by Abbas and Hamas politburo head Khaled Mashaal on February 8 is 'confirmed in reality.'
The French president also reminded Abbas that the international community expected the Palestinians to live up to certain commitments, such as recognizing the state of Israel and earlier agreements between the two parties, which he called 'obviously a very important point.'
Abbas, who earlier had travelled to Berlin, Brussels and London, will meet with French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy later on Saturday.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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