King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, here at his palace Wednesday evening. Earlier on his arrival, Abbas was received by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah. The Palestinian president commended King's efforts to unify Arab ranks and mobilize international support for the Palestinian cause. Commenting on the King's recent visits to Canada, the US, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, he said those trips have not only helped boost Arab unity but have also mobilized international support for Palestine, which is among King Abdullah's top priorities. The two leaders discussed the Palestinian issue and sufferings of the Palestinian people as well as international efforts to restart the peace process to reach a just and comprehensive solution to ensure the right of Palestinians to establish their independent state on their soil with Al-Quds as its capital, in accordance with the legitimate international resolutions and the Arab peace initiative. Abbas is holding fast against US pressure to begin direct peace talks with Israel before he is ready. The next few weeks are likely to show whether he can stay his course. The Palestinian leader wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make his intentions clear on key issues before Palestinian agreement to move from US-mediated “proximity talks” that began in May to face-to-face negotiations. He wants Netanyahu to give a sense of the shape and size of a future Palestinian state, accept the idea of a foreign party, NATO for example, guarding its borders and halt building Jewish settlements on occupied land. Abbas told Arab ministers last week that US President Barack Obama had sent him three letters which the US viewed as an adequate base for a move to direct talks. But he made clear the Palestinians were seeking more, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. “We must all continue to work with the American administration to achieve what we want with respect to the terms of reference and a halt to settlements before a start of direct talks and in order to guarantee their success,” Abbas said.
