DUTCH FM ARRIVES IN GAZA

Gaza, 29 Ramadan 1436/16 July 2015 (MINA) – Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders arrived in the blockaded Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning for a short working visit.

Koenders told reports upon his arrival at Karem Abu Salem crossing that his country is seeking ways to boost the economic situation in the Palestinian territories, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Director of the Palestinian side of Karem Abu Salam crossing, Mounir al-Ghalban, said Koenders inspected the commercial crossing along with the security check funded by Netherlands a couple of years ago so as to smooth the movement of goods from the besieged strip to the West Bank.

Afternoon Tuesday Netherlands’ Koenders arrived in the occupied Palestinian territories, where he met the Palestinian Authority chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, and discussed with him the latest developments emerging on the socio-political arena, along with ongoing endeavors to broker peace negotiations with Israel.

Koenders’ stopover is one in a series of visits paid by a number of UN officials and European stakeholders so as to keep tabs on the tragic state of affairs in the coastal enclave, devastated by an Israeli 51-day offensive last summer.(T/P008/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)